Murder He Wrote
by ohdon'tdoit
Summary: A Persona 4 fanfic commission for Rachel. Rika Adachi (OC) moves to Inaba and is trying to adjust to her new life. But when a particular detective catches her interest, Rika finds herself caught up in a bizarre world of mystery, forbidden romance, and Shadows. Adachi/OC WARNING: contains lots of lemon scenes spread out across different chapters.
1. Chapter 1

" _Don't worry, Rika. You're going to love Inaba!"_

Even now she could still hear her parents' voices vividly in her head as they waved good-bye to her at the airport.

" _You're going to make so many new friends there! Who knows? You may even find a boyfriend! Either way, you're going to have the time of your life! Cherish every moment."_

They had no idea just how wrong they'd be.

Although originally born in Japan, Rika Azura had been living in London for most of her life until her parents thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for her go back to her roots during her senior year of high school and transfer to a school in Japan. Initially, Rika had been thrilled over the idea of studying abroad in Japan! After all, she had a passion for cooking Japanese-style meals, she loved reading manga, and her clothing style often mimicked that of gothic lolitas. However, when she found out she wasn't going to be studying abroad in Tokyo or Osaka, she became a little discouraged. Her father had grown up in a small town called Inaba and often dreamed of moving back there; however, his current contract with his job in London prevented him from moving for at least another year. Either way, Inaba was the cheapest option for students who wanted to study abroad in Japan so her parents settled on Rika spending her last year of high school in Inaba by herself until her father's contract in London expired and her parents could join her.

The culture shock hadn't been too bad, at first. Growing up with two Japanese parents that spoke mostly Japanese at home had made her pretty much fluent in the language so at least she didn't struggle with that. However, she learned rather quickly that people living in small towns often had strange accents and used unique dialects that she wasn't used to. But the hardest part about living in Inaba was having to adjust from dwelling in a large city like London to a tiny town in the middle of the nowhere. There wasn't a need for things like buses or subways in Inaba because everything was within walking distance, including her school. Luckily, although the school had only a handful of students, she had already made quite a few friends that had almost immediately invited her into their group. People in small towns were very hospitable and welcoming; Rika didn't have a hard time fitting in with them unlike she had in London. There was also the fact that she was hired for a part-time position at the Junes Department Store during her first week of living there. Life in Inaba wasn't bad at first, Rika had to admit, but never in a million years did she expect to be sitting at the police station, being interrogated about a _murder_.

"My name is Detective Ryotaro Dojima. I'm here to ask you a few questions regarding Saki Konishi."

Rika's mouth had gone completely dry as she stared down at her lap, too nervous to look the detective in the eye. Her coworker and classmate, Saki Konishi, had disappeared several days ago. Yesterday morning, her body was found hanging upside on an antenna on the roof of a building. This has been the second murder in Inaba in the past two weeks, and it was needless to say that all of the town's locals were a little on edge. Because she had worked with her and was presumably the last person that had seen Saki alive, Rika had been called into the police station for questioning.

"So were you and Saki close friends?" the detective asked. He was a middle aged man who possibly could have been considered attractive if it weren't for the angry, terrifying scowl on his face. She couldn't tell if he was wearing such a hard expression on his face to intimidate her, or if that was just how he normally looked.

Shaking her head, Rika answered him quietly, "I've only been living in Inaba for about a month now. Saki and I went to the same school, but we never talked. I worked with her a lot at Junes, but she was always so busy and never really paid any attention to me unless there was a task she wanted me to do."

"So you were coworkers but never really spoke to each other? I see, I see…." Dojima said as he scribbled down some notes onto his notepad. Rika swallowed down a dry lump in her throat and nervously tucked a few strands of black hair behind her ears. Even though she and Saki saw each other almost every day, they were hardly considered friends. Saki was always super friendly to their other coworker, Yosuke Hanamura, but whenever Rika passed her by, Saki would give her mean looks and would even roughly bump into her on purpose if they were ever walking down the hallway together. Rika wasn't sure what she had done to make Saki feel such disdain towards her, but she was used to that kind of treatment, honestly. Many of her peers back in London had found her gothic clothing to be "tasteless" and she was often mocked for being so quiet at school.

"You may have been the last person to see Saki Konishi alive. What were you two doing the night before she disappeared?"

All these questions made her wonder if the authorities believed she was a suspect in the killing of Saki Konishi. After all, Rika was the "new kid" in town and she mostly kept to herself while always wearing dark clothing so it was only natural that she might be suspected of being a juvenile delinquent, but did they actually think she was capable of _hurting_ someone else? Her palms began to grow sweaty. Naturally, she had no involvement with Saki's murder but it did make her wonder if maybe things could have played out differently for Saki if Rika had done something differently.

"Saki and I were closing up the shop together that night. It was kind of late so I asked if she wanted to walk with her home so she didn't have to go home by herself. She kind of laughed and told me I shouldn't bother and that I should instead focus on sweeping and mopping the floor since she was too tired to do it herself even though it was her turn to clean up the place at closing. I told her I didn't mind cleaning it by myself but that I also wasn't comfortable walking alone at night, but she laughed again and told me to not be a coward. She grabbed her purse and left. That was the last time I saw her," Rika answered honestly as she vividly recalled everything that had happened that night.

Dojima scrunched up his face as he jotted down a few more notes. "I didn't realize Saki was kind of bossy… " he mumbled under his breath.

"I should have insisted that she and I walk home together. Maybe if I had cleaned up the shop faster, I could have been with her and maybe nothing bad would have happened to her…" Rika continued to stare down at her lap, biting her lower lip. Dojima asked her a few more questions after that, such as if she knew if Saki had any enemies or if any strangers had been lurking around Junes in hopes of stalking Saki, but Rika found it difficult to answer those since she didn't know Saki that well. After what had felt like an eternity, he finally permitted her to leave.

She had been in the interrogation room for a long time, and the clock on the wall read that it was fifteen past ten o'clock in the evening. Rika let out a defeated sigh as she gathered up her bag, preparing herself for the long tread back home. Although the town was small, the police station was a good thirty minute walk back to her apartment in the central shopping district. She lived by herself in an apartment near the town's main shrine, and although she felt safe walking around the town in broad daylight, nighttime was a completely different story. Especially after what just happened to Saki…

Dojima watched the petite girl as she made her way towards the door. From the start, he knew she wasn't involved with Saki's death. He didn't like to boast, but he had a pretty good eye for criminals. With just one look, he could tell if someone was hiding something or if they were just as innocent as they appeared to be. Of course, it was still standard procedure for him to be hard on her during the interrogation in case she was hiding something that could be of value to the investigation, and yet this girl just seemed to be more upset over the fact that she didn't walk Saki home that night than anything. She somehow believed that maybe this incident wouldn't have happened if Saki hadn't been alone.

Someone like that was definitely _not_ a murderer. _But who was?_

"Hey! Dojima!" chimed out an overly chipper voice from behind him. Dojima rolled his eyes, not even bothering to turn around to see who it was.

"What do you want, Adachi?" he groaned out. It had been a long day of investigation and the last thing he wanted to do was deal with his partner and obnoxiously perky personality.

The tall young man simply beamed brightly at his fellow detective before running a hand through his thin, brown hair. "How did the interrogation go? Do we have any leads as to who was behind the incident?"

"I interviewed several people today, but there's not a single ounce of evidence pointing towards any of them. I just got done interviewing a high school student who looked like she was about to bust out into tears at any moment. She looked pretty nervous, but not in the "I-Just-Killed-Someone" kind of way, but more in the "Why-Couldn't-I-Do-Something-To-Prevent-This" kind of way," Dojima replied, rubbing his temples. His brain felt pretty much fried after today's excitement and he wanted nothing more than to run home to his daughter and see her smiling face. He always felt bad leaving Nanako at home by herself so late at night, especially after two mysterious murders occurring in Inaba, but luckily his nephew had recently started living with them so Nanako no longer had to eat dinner alone.

Adachi's face softened as he scratched the back of his head. "Man, that's rough. It must be awful to find out that one of your friends was brutally killed and then suddenly you're called in for questioning…"

Dojima shrugged his shoulders and threw his coat over his shoulder, making his way towards the door. "As soon as we find the real culprit—and the guy who killed Mayumi Yamano, if they're not the same person—then everyone can finally sleep in their beds without worry. In the meantime, I'm going back home to make sure my daughter knows there's nothing to fear because her old man is looking out for her!"

Chuckling, Adachi followed Dojima out the door before the two partners parted ways. He hopped into his car, started up the engine, and began to cruise down the street. As he was driving, a figure of a young girl walking down the sidewalk caught his attention. She was a pretty girl with a slender figure and her short, black hair fell right at her shoulders. Her high school uniform lead him to believe that she was the girl Dojima had just finished up interrogating, and he slowed down the speed of his car just a bit to match the pace of her stride.

Rolling down his windows, Adachi called out her. "Hey! Excuse me, miss! It's kind of late. Would you like a ride back home?"

Rika glanced at the man leaning out of his car's window and panic began to rise in her chest. She had always been taught not to talk to strangers, let alone hop in a car with them. As her heart thumped wildly in her chest, she contemplated on making a run for it back to the police station. What kind of nerve did this man have trying to pick up a high schooler so late at night, right next to the police station?!

Seeing the girl suddenly tense up at his offer, Adachi immediately realized his mistake. "Oh, uh, sorry! I'm not a creeper or anything! My name is Detective Toru Adachi! Dojima told me he just got done interrogating you. I could show you my badge, if you don't believe me…"

The rapid pace of her heart began to slow down as Rika took a deep breath. Another detective? Boy, he really had her worried there for a second! This whole "murder" thing had her extremely anxious and she had been rather frantic enough walking back home by herself this late at night. The streetlights had been guiding her path, but who knew what kind of dangers lurked behind every corner in Inaba?

"I live on the opposite side of town," she said softly to him, averting her eyes from his gaze. "It'd be troublesome for you to drive me home."

Dojima was right. This girl did have a rather solemn look to her, as if she was feeling incredibly distraught over her classmate's death and somehow felt responsible. Of course, that would have been impossible. After all, Adachi knew very well who the _real_ culprit was, despite his naïve demeanor.

"If I cared how far of a drive it was, I wouldn't have offered in the first place," the brunette said to her, a goofy grin playing upon his handsome features. "It's not safe for a pretty girl to be wandering around at night by herself. I'd be beside myself if I learned something happened to an innocent girl and I wasn't able to prevent it because I didn't insist on driving her home."

Rika's heart sank at the sound of his words. She knew he was trying to be sweet, especially considering the fact he had chosen to compliment her not just once but twice, but something about his last sentence made her chest feel heavy. The last night she saw Saki, she had tried to get the other girl to walk home with her. Maybe if she had been a little bit more pushy or if she put her put foot down and insisted Saki help her finish mopping then maybe Saki wouldn't have been murdered. Anything could happen at a moment's notice, and there was no denying that even Rika had been slightly worried about her own safety from the moment she stepped out of the station.

After a moment, she decided to accept the man's request. After all, he was a detective, too. There's no way he could be a suspicious individual. Nodding, Rika walked over to the passenger side of his car and scooted inside. Once her seatbelt had been fastened, Adachi began to set off the down the road once again.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment as Rika found herself a little too nervous to initiate any form of conversation. Luckily, Adachi spoke first. "Sorry, I guess I'm just a little paranoid for people's safety now," he said, a little embarrassed for being rather insistent that he give her a ride home. "Inaba used to be such a quiet, peaceful town. That's why I loved it so much. But I guess even things as terrifying as homicide can happen to the most wholesome of towns, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand. I'm from London and even though it's relatively safe over there, you still can never be too careful," she answered back, glancing at the man beside her. Adachi had given her a side glance as well and their gazes met for a brief second before he turned his attention back to the road.

For a high school student, this girl was cute. _Really_ cute. She had a unique style with her black stockings and fancy additions to her Yasogami High School uniform such as the black lace at the hem of her skirt. She had a very elegant, mature look to her, unlike those brats that Dojima's nephew was always hanging around…

"Ah, my apologies! I should have asked before! Where do you live, miss?" he blurted out, just now realizing that he didn't have the faintest clue where he was driving to. He certainly had a way of making an ass of himself in front of pretty girls. She probably thought he was a complete and utter moron…

Giggling, Rika answered him with a smile. "It's no problem! I live near the temple where the cute little fox lives. Just on the other side of it."

"Oh! I know exactly where that is," he said, grinning, relieved that she didn't seem too bothered by his carelessness. "I often go to that temple to pray for guidance for our investigations!" It was a complete lie, of course. Adachi never prayed. He couldn't have cared less about that kind of stuff, but at least making a statement like that would make him appear to be more trustworthy and kindhearted.

Rika fidgeted with the bow of her sailor collar, pretending to adjust it as a means of occupying herself, before she shyly looked up at him again. Even though it was a little dark inside of his car, she could still make out the lines of his face. He looked a little bit younger than the other detective, Dojima, and he seemed a lot kinder. Adults were always pretty intimidating to her, Rika always found herself thinking, but this guy didn't really make her feel that uncomfortable at all. Well, despite the fact that he was extremely good-looking and his charming smile and warm eyes made her rather self-conscious.

 _Oh my gosh, what am I thinking?! He's a detective!_

Her heart sped up just a bit as she caught herself staring up at him again. Ugh, she was no better than all her other female classmates that ogled all over the cute boys in her school. Rika hardly ever developed crushes on boys, mostly because she preferred to focus on things like her studies or her school's extracurricular activities, but also because it was rare for her to find guys her own age to be attractive.

As she was caught up in a whirlwind of her own thoughts, Adachi's voice brought her back down to reality. "I just realized that I never asked for your name."

"Oh, um, it's Rika. Rika Azura," she said, forcing her eyes to focus on the nighttime scenery outside of the passenger seat window so they wouldn't accidentally wander back over to the young man beside her.

"Rika's a really pretty name. My name is Toru Adachi!"

Rika giggled again, this time a bit harder. "You already said that, silly."

"Oh, oops…You're right… Sorry. Haha!"

He liked that she was the type of girl to smile and laugh easily. He was always surrounded by such stern, unfriendly coworkers that were always quick to make fun of him if he ever made mistakes. But Rika was simply smiling at the goofy things he said and didn't seem to be bothered by him at all. As they continued to drive down to her home, he purposely took the long way towards the shrine and went a rather slow speed. They exchanged light, casual conversation during the drive, and Adachi actually found himself enjoying her company. She was a lot more likeable than that bitchy Saki Konishi chick and even the actress, Mayumi Yamano.

Eventually, their conversation came to an end as the shrine came into view. "My apartment is just on the other side," Rika spoke up, clutching her backpack in her hands, "so I can walk from here."

"Are you sure? I don't mind walking you to your front door," Adachi suggested, trying not to sound too needy. He probably wasn't do a very good job of it.

Smiling sweetly, she bowed her head in gratitude and opened the door to let herself out. "That's okay. You've already done more than enough for me for one night. Thanks so much for driving me home, Adachi-san! I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"It was no trouble at all! Have a good night! Be sure to lock your door when you get inside."

She was touched by his concern for her safety and waved good-bye as he drove off moments later. Adachi had been the complete opposite of the other detective she had spoken with earlier, and secretly she hoped she would be able to see him again. Seeing as how this town was rather tiny, it wasn't unlikely that she would run into him again. He was fun to talk to and made her feel at ease. As she walked back to her one-bedroom apartment, Rika had almost forgotten about Saki Konishi or that she had a lot of homework that was due tomorrow.

All she could think about was the handsome man that had offered her a ride home.


	2. Chapter 2

"So you never saw Saki Konishi meet with someone after work? She didn't have a boyfriend or anything?"

"No, sir. She always went home alone."

It had been a little over a week since Saki Konishi's body turned up on that rooftop and Rika, along with several other people, were still being asked questions by detectives. Today was a bit unusual since Detective Ryo Dojima directly came to Yasogami High School to hunt for some information, but being questioned on a park bench outside of her school was a lot less intimidating than being interrogated inside of a police station. She had seen Ryo Dojima stop several other students after school that day, probably asking them similar questions in hopes of getting at least one step closer to solving the mystery behind Saki's death.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Azura-san," Dojima replied as he jotted down a few notes onto his notepad. "I guarantee that we will solve the case as quickly as possible so you and everyone else in Inaba can rest at ease." He offered her a small smile and Rika bowed her head in response. He immediately left her side to trail after some other students with the intent of asking them a few direct questions as well. Finally free, Rika let out a long sigh of relief as she made her way towards the school gate. These past few days had been extremely stressful, not just for her but for all the students at Yasogami High School. The teachers were stricter, everyone was on guard, and nobody felt comfortable mentioning Saki's name. It was almost as if mentioning the murder was completely taboo although it was clear it was on everyone's minds. No one should be expected to erase something that horrific from their minds within the time span of a few days.

"Yo, Rika!"

The voice of one of her classmates seized Rika's attention as she turned to face a boy approaching her. "Oh, Yosuke-kun," Rika said with a smile as the brunette jogged towards her until he was walking beside her, "How are you? Headed to work?"

Yosuke Hanamura worked at the Junes Department store as well. In fact, his parents ran the whole joint so he often came by the food stand Rika worked at to offer her a helping hand. His assistance was much welcomed seeing as how they had been short-staffed since Saki disappeared.

"Yep, on my way to work right now. I feel like I permanently live there considering how much I work. If you're headed there, too, we should walk together, Rika-chan!" he replied, his tone practically oozing with forced enthusiasm. Rika had figured out a long time ago that Yosuke had been crushing on Saki. The poor guy had no idea all the nasty things Saki had said about him behind his back, but Rika had never felt it was her place to tell him. She knew Yosuke really cared for Saki and her death had come as a huge shock to him. He had been pretty down in the dumps for days and hardly smiled while he was at school. Not even his friend Chie could break him out of his gloomy state with her rowdy, rambunctious personality and overwhelming need for steak. All of his friends had been trying to cheer him up, but it hadn't seemed to work. At least, not until today. Today he was actually smiling and he actually looked refreshed and rejuvenated. Did something happen to change his mood?

"Yes, I would love to walk to work with you," Rika answered, relieved to see him back to his usual chipper self. They made their way down the sidewalk, engaging in casual conversation about how terrible Mr. Morooka, their homeroom teacher, was and how nasty the cafeteria food was that day. Nothing felt out of ordinary until Yosuke all of a sudden fell silent before changing the topic from today's lunch to something more bizarre.

"Hey, Rika?" Yosuke asked, his eyes suddenly appearing vacant as he stared at the road before him. "Have you heard of the Midnight Channel?"

Confused, Rika shook her head.

"There's a new rumor going around," he continued, "about there being a television program that only plays during rainy days at exactly midnight. According to the rumors, you're supposed to see the image of your soulmate if you watch it. Since you haven't watched it, I suspect that it probably sounds pretty crazy to you. I don't actually think it shows you your soulmate, but I did see something pretty weird things on there. Some pretty unbelievable things, actually…"

Come to think of it, Rika did overhear Chie talking about it with Yu Narukami, the other transfer student. Narukami was polite and extremely kind, but his quiet personality made it rather difficult for Rika to initiate conversation with him on her own. She was pretty shy herself, but Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke were always quick to invite Rika into their conversations so she felt included. She had been a part of all conversations except for the one where she heard them quietly discussing something called the Midnight Channel.

"It'll probably rain again this week. So, why don't you check it out and see if maybe you see your mysterious soulmate on the midnight channel? It's probably bogus but who knows what you might witness," Yosuke concluded with a chuckle. Although he talked about the channel as if it were something silly and lighthearted, his eyes told her a different story. The serious, mournful look in his gaze encouraged her to not ask him any more about it and Rika silently understood. She wasn't sure why he wanted her to tune into this unusual television program that was probably nothing more than a childish rumor, but something made her feel compelled to check it out anyways. Rika tilted her chin towards the floor, pondering the meaning behind Yosuke's strange behavior until she heard a pair of footsteps slowly creep up from behind them.

"The Midnight Channel, eh? Is that what all the cool kids are into these days? Sounds kind of perverted."

Both Yosuke and Rika turned around to see a familiar face who was grinning at them with a curious glimmer in his brown eyes. Neither of them had even heard Detective Adachi sneak up behind them until he was just a few feet away, and Rika's heart did the strangest flutter once she caught a glimpse of his smiling face.

"Yo, Detective Adachi!" Yosuke waved, all of a sudden back to his usual, perky self. "How's it hanging?"

Adachi took a few more steps until he was walking in between the two high schoolers and pushing some distance between the two. Neither Rika nor Yosuke said anything about it as they let the older man join them on their way to Junes.

"I've been pretty decent. How have you guys been?" Before Yosuke could even answer his question, Adachi slid his gaze from the male teen to the pretty younger girl beside him, a gentle look in his eyes. "It's a pleasure seeing you again, Azura-san. I saw Dojima talking to you earlier at the school gate. I hope he didn't give you too many problems."

Rika shook her head, returning his warm smile as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ears. "Not at all! He may seem a little intimidating but he's very kind. I can tell you're all working very hard to solve this mystery and restore peace to Inaba." Truthfully, Rika would have much preferred it if Adachi had been the one to ask her questions about Saki Konishi. Even though they had only spoken briefly in the car a week ago, Rika found herself feeling rather relaxed in his presence. He gave off such kind, warm vibes everywhere he went. Even Yosuke seemed to be pretty comfortable around him, too, despite the fact that he was a detective.

"Either way, we appreciate how compliant you guys have all been. I know it's been really hard on all of you. Especially you, Yosuke-kun," Adachi said, offering Yosuke a gentle pat on the shoulder. Not replying, the younger male simply turned his gaze away before shoving his hands into the depths of his pockets. Adachi withdrew his friend from Yosuke's shoulder, letting it drop by his side as his lips broke out into a mischievous grin. "Now, what were you two saying about the Midnight Channel? Sounds interesting!"

Sliding up the sleeve of his black jacket, Yosuke stared down at an imaginary watch on his bare wrist. "Oh wow! It's that late already?! I guess I better hurry on ahead then or else I'll be late to work!" He began to kick his knees a little up in the air as if he were about to break out into a sprint. "I'll see you at Junes, Rika!" Neither Adachi nor Rika had enough time to even say good-bye before the brunette dashed off the street in a speedy jog. They exchanged puzzled glances before chuckling to themselves.

"That Yosuke is always full of energy!" Adachi said, shaking his head. His behavior had struck Adachi as odd, but he knew he would get nowhere if he pestered the boy about the Midnight Channel again. He would just have to find a sneakier way to probe him for answers since he and that nephew of Dojima's seemed to know a bit more about Saki Konishi's death than they were letting on. He wasn't sure if they were aware of the Shadow World or not, but he needed to make sure they didn't pry too further into things or else they would surely regret it.

At least Rika seemed to be oblivious that was something strange was going on with her friends. That was a relief. "Sorry, Azura-san! I shouldn't be keeping you from work. I'll stop bothering you now so you won't be late," Adachi said with a sheepish grin. "But, uh, before I forget…" He reached into the pocket of his brown jacket to retrieve a small notepad where he jotted down his cell phone number. "Here's my number."

Although puzzled, the girl slowly took the scrap of paper from him. "Your number?"

His face burned brightly as a crimson blush crept its way along his cheeks. He threw up his hands in defense, a bit of sweat forming on the back of his neck. "Oh, no! Don't take it the wrong way! I'm not trying to hit on you or give you my number for any, uh, perverted reasons! I mean, that's not to say you're not very beautiful or anything, but, uh, you know what I mean!" He was getting all flustered and Rika couldn't help but giggle. Adachi was rather cute whenever he got embarrassed, and she wasn't even slightly bothered over the fact he had given her his number. "I just want you to have it in case of an emergency! If you ever feel like your life is in danger or if you ever need a ride home after work, just give me a ring!" He seemed to be out of breath as he struggled to regain composure after bluntly giving a minor his personal number.

"Thank you, Adachi," Rika smiled, still giggling at his reaction. "I really appreciate it."

Relieved that she wasn't creeped out by him, Adachi scratched the back of his head before taking a step away from her. "N-No problem…Anyways, I, uh, better get back to work! As long as there's a murderer out there somewhere, I'm not going to rest until he's captured!" He gave her a short wave before turning on his heels and heading off into the opposite direction. He didn't break into a run like Yosuke had done, but he certainly wasn't taking his time either. Rika watched his back before he disappeared around a corner before she pulled out her cell phone to enter his number into her phone. His sense of justice was so endearing and she admired how caring and thoughtful he was. She had chosen not to comment on the fact that he had complimented her beauty, but her heart had definitely sprung up in her chest at his words. It was strange how strongly her heart reacted to a man she had only just met. She was used to her peers commenting on how pretty she was with her fair skin and glossy black hair, but it never seemed to affect her much. Why did it make her happy knowing that Adachi found her to be attractive?

She slipped her cell phone back into her backpack before she made her way down the street once again. However, something small caught her attention right after she took her first step. A discarded wallet was resting on the ground by her feet and Rika quickly bent down to retrieve it. Adachi's photo I.D. stared back at her as she opened the leather wallet, and a frown formed on her face. He must have dropped it when he pulled out his notepad to write down his number for her. She glanced over her shoulder but Adachi was nowhere in sight; who knows where he scampered off to in such a hurry! She didn't have a lot of time until her work shift began but she figured she could drop Adachi a text and let him know she had his wallet and she would return it to him after work. A few hours later, Adachi replied to her text to inform her that he was going to be very busy that night with work but that he could pick it up from her the following day once she was done with school. Rika politely informed him that she could easily drop it off at the police station tomorrow afternoon and that he didn't need to trouble himself by going all the way out to her school. Adachi simply thanked her for being so kind, and his abundance of heart-shaped emoticons made Rika severely blush in the middle of her work shift.

During her entire shift, all she could think about was the handsome young detective with the quirky personality. She got home later that night, tired from the overload of work that had made all her muscles ache, but decided against going to bed just yet. Right after school she would be delivering Adachi his wallet, but part of her felt the overwhelming need to do something nice for him. After all, he had graciously made sure she got home safely the other night so the least she could do would be to make him a bento box of some sort.

Rika had a passion for cooking and always enjoyed making meals for other people. So with a light skip to her step, she ignored the searing pain on the soles of her feet after all the running around she had to do at work earlier that day and she set to work on making Adachi the most delicious bento box ever. With plenty of meats, rice, and veggies, she decorated a blue lunchbox until everything was arranged in a cute, neat manner. It took her a few hours, but overall Rika was rather proud of her adorable masterpiece! She wasn't sure what kinds of food Adachi liked, but hopefully there was at least something in the bento that would be to his liking. Just before bed, she sealed his bento and placed it in the fridge, excited to see him again.

The following day dragged on a lot more than usual. Rika wasn't sure if the classes were more boring than normal or if it just seemed that way because she was so anxious to leave school and get to the detective agency. Her foot tapped impatiently underneath her desk as her eyes remained fixated on the clock on the wall. She couldn't peel her eyes away from the ticking hands as she practically willed 3 p.m. to come quicker. Eventually, time scooted by and the bells began to chime. She practically knocked her chair over as she leaped out of her seat, gathered up her backpack, and scurried down the stairs. She had barely waved good-bye to her classmates as she dashed past Chie and Yukiko who were simply loitering in the hallway, discussing their plans for the afternoon. Chie had thought about inviting Rika to join them for an afternoon snack at Junes, but she had already dashed out of the hallway before they could stop her. Clearly she was in a hurry for something!

Rika had kept an ice pack atop of her bento box to keep it cold throughout the day so the food wouldn't spoil while she was in class. Although walking at a brisk place, Rika had the bento tightly clutched in her hands as she smiled brightly to herself, her heartbeat drumming in sync with her speedy steps. There was no denying that she was excited to see Adachi again, but hopefully he would like the meal she prepared for him. She eventually made it to the detective agency where she approached the front desk.

"Um, excuse me, is Adachi-san here?" Rika asked, hoping her voice wasn't too high pitched and squeaky from the jitters she felt.

The receptionist pulled her attention away from a magazine she was holding in her hands before looking to the high school student with a frown. "No, my dear. I'm afraid he and Dojima are on duty right now. Can I help you with anything?"

Rika couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed over Adachi's absence. Didn't she tell him the night before in a text that she would be bringing his wallet by the station? Maybe he didn't want to see her and had just wanted her to simply drop it off. Her chest felt tight as she realized just how foolish and naive she had been. Adachi was an adult. Of course he didn't care if he saw her or not. All those kind words and compliments were just simply acts of friendliness and didn't have any real meaning behind it. She should have known better than to think it was okay for her to try and get close to him…

"Um, I have a delivery for Adachi-san. Would you mind giving this to him?" Rika said, trying not to sound too grim as she forced a pleasant smile on her face. She handed the receptionist the wallet and the bento box.

"No problem, hun'. Have a nice day," the older woman said before turning her eyes back to the magazine on her lap.

There was no reason for Rika to be there anymore. So keeping her chin held high, she exited the office and made her long tread back to her apartment.

A text that night stirred Rika from her sleep as her phone buzzed against the wooden surface of her nightstand. She slowly peeled her eyes open and reached for her phone, fumbling around until her fingers curled around it. Her heart nearly stopped at the name that flashed across the screen.

Adachi Toru.

" _Hey, Rika! I'm sorry I wasn't at the office after work even though I knew you were coming by. We had a sudden emergency, but everything is fine now."_

Deep down she feared he was lying. But she still couldn't resist replying to his message.

" _It's okay. I'm glad everything was resolved! Have a good night."_

She thought that might have been the end of their late night conversation but her phone immediately buzzed again.

" _The bento you made me was delicious! How did you know what my favorite foods were?"_

He had even added a winking emoticon to the end of his sentence. Rika sighed, unable to tell if he was simply toying with her or not. What did he hope to gain by sending flirty messages? Did he get a thrill out of teasing younger girls?

" _Lucky guess. I'm glad you enjoyed it!"_

" _Could I stop by your school when you're done for the day, Rika? I'd like to wash it and give it back."_

The first thing she noticed was that he called her by her first name for once. He had referred to her as "Azura-san" the day prior, but suddenly he was addressing her as Rika. This was definitely not good. If he was indeed toying with her emotions, then she was falling right into his trap.

" _Of course. I would be very grateful. Thank you!"_

" _Good night, Rika. Sweet dreams."_

Twice. That was twice he used her first name! Frustrated, she tossed and turned in her bed, reading his texts over and over. Why did he have to be so charming?! Furthermore, why was she so easily swooned by something so small? Crushes were a terrible thing to have. She eventually put her phone away and tried to get some sleep, but she should have known better than to think she would be able to rest peacefully knowing that she was going to see Adachi tomorrow.

Of all days for it to rain, it just had to be this one.

Staring outside her classroom window, Rika sighed as storm clouds rolled overhead. Lightning was flashing all across the sky as rain poured down from the clouds relentlessly. It had been storming ever since the morning, and Rika was starting to become doubtful that Adachi would want to come all the way to her school just to meet her and give her back her lunchbox. It was such a shame considering that she had put extra care into her hair and makeup that day; she had even spent such a long time perfecting her winged eyeliner! But it couldn't be helped. If Adachi didn't feel like meeting her in the rain, then she couldn't blame him.

The end of the day finally rolled around and Rika reached into her backpack to fish for her phone, dreading the message that probably awaited her. Would Adachi ask to reschedule? Or would he simply tell her the lunchbox was waiting for her at the detective agency and she would have to come get it herself if she wanted it?

And yet, butterflies danced inside of her stomach when Adachi's name blinked back at her from her screen.

" _Hey, Rika! I'm waiting for you outside the school gates."_

Rika had to cover her cheeks with the palm of her hand to hide her blush. So he came after all?! That was wonderful! She gathered up her things and made her way towards the door, but not before a certain short-haired brunette stopped her.

"Hold it, missy! Just where do you think you're going in such a rush?" Chie Satonaka grinned widely at Rika as she stood in front of the doorway, blocking her path. She folded her arms over her chest, glancing Rika up and down. "Someone is looking pretty spiffy today!"

Panicking, Rika quickly shook her head and laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I always look like this."

"Are those new boots? Did you paint your fingernails? _Are you wearing lip gloss?!"_ Chie inched her face in closer to get a better look at Rika's face as she wagged her eyebrows. Rika had been acting suspicious these past few days, constantly checking her phone and always caught in a daydream. She was even in such a hurry the day before. Did she have a boyfriend and chose not to tell them?!

"Um, yes, but my lips have been chapped lately so I wanted to moisturize them. That's all," Rika replied, hoping Chie wouldn't see right through her. Chie and the others seemed to be pretty well acquainted with Adachi, but she didn't want them knowing that she was getting all dolled up just to go see him. She believed that it would somehow not sit quite right with her new friends considering Adachi's age and status in the community. Not that they were doing anything suspicious like going on a date or anything, of course. Definitely not. It wasn't as if she was expecting anything to come of her little girly crush on him either.

Chie let her arms drop by her side as she let out a loud, dramatic sigh. "Okay, then. Whatever you say, Rika-chan! If you're not busy, want to go see a movie today? Yukiko wasn't in class today so I bet she's sick."

"I'm sorry," Rika frowned apologetically, "but I actually have plans today. But if you're free tomorrow, I'd love to go see a movie!"

Chie tried not to sound too disappointed. "Okay, then. We'll hang out tomorrow! I guess I'll go bug Yosuke at Junes or something. But it's raining so hard today so maybe I'll just go home and watch television…"

The tomboyish girl was still blocking her path but Rika wasn't sure if there was a polite way to ask her to move. She didn't want to keep Adachi waiting too long but she didn't want to be rude to Chie. "Um, well, I guess I'll be going then. Have a good afternoon!" she said after a moment, pushing past her friend after giving her a polite bow. Chie simply watched Rika disappear down the hallway, her eyes slanting just a bit.

"I bet she has a date," Chie muttered to herself under her breath before breaking into a smile. She inwardly wished Rika luck before she set off to pester some of her other friends.

Sure enough, Adachi was waiting for Rika outside the school gates. He was standing underneath a tree with no sign of an umbrella as he struggled to keep himself as dry as possible. Grasping her own small umbrella tightly in her hands, Rika raced out of the school building and sprinted towards him quickly. Adachi smiled as he saw her approaching, worried that she was going to run out of breath by the time she got there.

"I'm sorry I made you wait!" Rika panted, offering him shelter underneath her umbrella. "I didn't know it was going to rain today or else I would have told you to just hold onto the lunchbox for another day."

He laughed, touched by her consideration, while shrugging his shoulders. "It's no problem! I wanted to see you, Rika. I actually felt really bad I missed you yesterday! In fact, I wanted to make it up to you. Can I treat you to dinner tonight?"

The tree hadn't provided him with much protection from the rain's cold touch so his jacket was pretty much completely soaked through but he didn't seem to be too troubled by it. Her slick hair was sticking to the back of his neck and he somehow appeared even sexier than ever but Rika quickly pushed those thoughts away. He caught Rika completely off guard as he stepped in closer to join her underneath her umbrella. Rika's heartbeat sped up and she quickly averted her eyes to the ground as Adachi took the handle of her umbrella from her, holding it instead because he was the taller one of the two.

"Y-You don't have to do anything like that for me," Rika blurted out after a moment, finding it difficult to look him in the eye. "I'm sure you're really busy and have a lot on your plate."

"Well, I'd certainly like to have a lot on my plate right now! I'm starving!" Adachi attempted to make a lame joke to put her more at ease, and it somehow worked since she started giggling a few seconds later. "Why don't we go to this really great place near my apartment? They've got the most delicious bowls of ramen! You haven't lived until you've tried them!"

Although Rika didn't like the idea of him feeling obligated to treat her to dinner, the thought of spending time with him sounded incredible. Nodding, she accepted his invitation and the two walked side by side underneath her little black umbrella, their shoulders brushing up against each other as they struggled to remain dry. They eventually arrived at the parking lot where Adachi's car had been waiting before they set off down the road, their stomachs anticipating the yummy ramen on the other side of town.

As they drove, the storm seemed to get a bit worse. Thunder roared dangerously throughout Inaba, but Adachi's calm and relaxed nature helped Rika not feel too nervous about it. As long as she didn't get home too late, it didn't really matter how bad the weather got outside; however, the drive to the ramen place seemed to be a little far from her school. She doubted Adachi would mind driving her all the way back home since he didn't seem like the type to abandon a girl in weather as nasty as this, but she felt bad that he had to use so much gas just to take her to dinner.

After parking the car, both Adachi and Rika raced towards the ramen shop quickly so as to not get any more wetter than they already were. Once inside, Adachi removed his moist jacket before draping it over the back of his chair at their table while also loosening the red tie around his neck. Rika took a seat directly across from him before busying herself by reading over the menu, too bashful to look at Adachi.

The two of them were alone. Eating dinner. Just the two of them. No one else.

Was she going crazy or did this feel kind of like a date?!


	3. Chapter 3

When the waitress came by their table, Adachi bestowed it upon himself to order for the both of them. "We'll take two of your famous beef bowls, please!" He then turned to his attention back to Rika with a smile, winking at her. "Trust me—you'll love it!"

"I'll also take a milk tea, please," Rika told the waitress. She didn't mind that Adachi ordered for her; she trusted his judgement. He seemed really fond of this place so she could only assume he knew the menu like the back of his hand. The waitress left the two of them in peace, and once again Rika found herself getting rather anxious underneath Adachi's intense gaze. His smile was kind and serene, but his eyes were fierce as he stared back at her from the opposite end of the table.

"So, Rika, why don't you tell me a little more about yourself? We have a habit of bumping into each other a lot so I hope you don't mind that I'd like to get to know you more."

Even though she was flattered that he was interested in getting to know her better, his statement caught her a little off guard. Putting her on the spot like that only served to make her fidget nervously with one of the bracelets on her wrist as her eyes fell to her lap. "Well, um, what do you want to know?"

"How do you like Inaba? Are you adjusting well to the small town life? Have you made a lot of new friends yet?" Adachi asked. This was just small talk, of course, but he didn't want to throw out the extremely personal questions just yet. As they waited for their food, Rika answered his questions and slowly started opening up to him a bit more about herself. She did, in fact, enjoy Inaba but the recent murders had her a little bit on edge. She talked briefly about her friends like Yosuke and Chie, and the entire time Adachi kept his eyes focused on her with his elbows propped on the table his and chin resting against his palm.

"What about you? Do you have a lot of friends here?" Rika asked, taking a sip of her milk tea once it was brought to their table.

"My life's pretty boring," Adachi admitted, chuckling a bit. "The only real friend I have is Dojima and its just because we work together. I haven't lived here in Inaba too long myself, but I like it so far. It's kind of quaint and peaceful, you know? Mountains tend to relax me." He had to be careful on what he chose to reveal about himself. Rika, unlike some of her other classmates, appeared to be a lot more intelligent and observant than she let on. He'd need to tread carefully around her and not let himself get too caught up in his attraction towards her. He was too far in his plan to afford any slip ups now; especially slip ups involving _girls_.

Their food was brought to them moments later, and Rika was relieved she had let Adachi order for her—the beef ramen looked absolutely delicious! Its appetizing aroma reached her nose, and her mouth watered in response as she reached for her chopsticks. When she was at school that day, she had been so excited about seeing Adachi that she had completely forgotten to eat lunch. She couldn't wait to finally chow down! Of course, she needed to make sure she didn't eat in a sloppy manner. Noodles were hard to eat with chopsticks, and the last thing she wanted to spill her food all over her uniform or look like a complete slob in front of her new crush.

But Adachi wasted no time in digging in, and watching him hungrily devour the food in front of him put her at ease. He slurped away at his noodles and Rika realized she probably didn't need to be so nervous around him; Adachi was a pretty cool guy, after all. As they dined together, the conversations got more casual and things started to feel less awkward. Adachi was such an easy-going person with a charismatic personality; she really did enjoy spending time with him. They talked, they joked, they laughed, and before they both knew it, two hours had already passed. Adachi checked his watch, frowning as he realized he probably needed to take her home soon. And yet, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself and didn't really want the evening to end just yet. Talking with Rika had actually made him temporarily forget about his job and about his current predicament in Inaba. It was actually a rather nice feeling. Ignoring the ticking of the hands on his watch, he took another sip of his beer before reclining back in his seat.

"I've got another question for you, Rika!" the brunette piped out, feeling a bit more daring with his questions. Throughout the evening he had asked her simple questions like what her hobbies were, what her favorite television programs were, and the like, but now that they had spent two hours talking about casual things, he figured it might be okay to finally ask something a little bit deeper. "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

Needless to say, Rika blushed at his sudden question. His carefree attitude must have been rubbing off on her because her immediate response was to laugh and shrug her shoulders. "Why do you want to know?" she asked.

"Just curious, is all," Adachi responded as he nonchalantly took another swig of his drink. He could only blame the beer for his sudden burst of courage.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend," Rika answered truthfully. "In fact, I've never been in a relationship with anyone."

Adachi nearly spit out of his drink. "Whaaaaaaaat?! No way! I would expect a girl as pretty as you would be fighting guys off of her every day!"

Rika giggled at his compliment, unsure if she should thank him or not. "Not really. Boys typically avoid me because of the way I dress. I guess you could say I might be too alternative for their tastes?"

"Well," Adachi said as he placed his cup back on the counter. He had accidentally spilled a few drops on his lap, but he pretended not to notice the stain on his pants. "I think those boys are just stupid. I like the way you dress! It's unique and stylish!"

Rika's heart thumped a bit louder in her chest as she couldn't resist smiling at his comment. He was quite good at flattery, but his words really did feel genuine. She had to keep reminding herself not to get too carried away, though. He was an adult—adults like him didn't actually develop crushes on girls like her. It just didn't happen and the sooner she realized he was just trying to be friendly and boost her self-esteem, the better.

"The storm's looking pretty bad out there," Adachi stated as he watched the raindrops pound against the window of the restaurant. The wind was whipping dangerously outside and the lights in the restaurant even flickered a few times. "As much as I'd hate to end the night so soon, it's probably best that we wrap it up for tonight. Don't worry—I'll pay for tonight's dinner!" Rika nodded in silent agreement as the waitress took their empty bowls away.

Fishing through the pockets of his jacket, Adachi began to panic as he realized he couldn't seem to locate his wallet. Did he leave it in the car? Or…did he leave it back at the office? _Shit!_ How could he be so careless?! Noticing that the young man seemed to be flustered, Rika reached across the table and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Did you forget your wallet again?"

He hung his head in shame, too embarrassed to look at her in the face. "I think….I think I left it in the pocket of my other pants…"

Rika giggled, finding his carelessness to be a rather endearing trait of his. Luckily, her part-time job paid her more than enough to live off of because of how many hours she worked per week so she was more than capable of paying for both of their meals. "No worries, Adachi-san! I can buy tonight."

"I'm so sorry, Rikaaaaaaa!" he whined, taking both of her hands in his as he bowed his head low in a sincere apology. "I was supposed to treat you tonight but I screwed up! Please let me make it up to you!"

"It's fine! Really!" Rika reassured him as she stared down at their connected hands. Adachi saw where her eyes fell and he abruptly dropped his arms back to his side as he slid out of his seat. His own cheeks were flushed with a pink tint, shocked that he had touched her so easily in public without even thinking about it. What if someone had seen them?! A detective getting involved with a female student would of course reflect poorly on him and the agency he worked for—he really needed to be more careful, but Rika had a tendency to make him lose his cool. _Damn it_ , this was really bad!

Rika happily paid for their meals before walking outside the diner alongside him. "Wow!" Rika enthused as they both raced towards Adachi's car, their arms covering their heads to shield them from the rain. "The streets are already flooded!" The water on the pavement had already begun to rise up, and both of their ankles had been completely submerged in water before they hopped into his car. They had only parked a couple meters away from the restaurant's entrance, but they were already soaked just from being outside in the downpour briefly.

"This isn't good," Adachi mumbled as he cranked up his car. "If it's flooding this badly, there's no way my old car will make it back into town. We'll get suck for sure."

"What should we do?" Rika asked, biting her lower lip in concern. She couldn't help but feel like this was all her fault. She should have just told Adachi to reschedule once she realized it was going to be raining all night…

Adachi thought for a moment before glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "My apartment is just down the road. Not even a block away from here. Want to hang out there for a little bit until the rain stops? It might be our best bet."

Rika nodded. Perhaps if they waited out the storm for a little bit longer, the flooding would die down. It was only around 5:30 pm so as long as she didn't stay out too late, it should have been fine. But the thought of going over to a man's home— _Adachi_ 's home—was enough to make her palms start sweating. She was starting to regret just how much she ate as her frazzled nerves began to make her stomach feel rather queasy and unsettled.

From where he was sitting in the driver's seat, he could tell Rika was uncertain about going over to his place. Seeing as how she didn't have a boyfriend that would get irritated over being at another guy's house, he didn't see any problems arising over having her come to his place for a bit. It's not like he was going to jump her bones or anything…right?

Wrong.

There was no way he could deny how incredibly beautiful and sexy she was. Were younger girls always this attractive, or was Rika just so desirable because of her unique style and European features? Either way, he had found it incredibly difficult not to admire her during dinner. The way her shoulders shook when she giggled, the way she twirled her hair around her finger when she was nervous, the way her voice sounded when she talked about her hometown… She was just so absolutely alluring and Adachi knew he was going to have a hard time keeping his hands to himself. But, no matter how mature and sophisticated she was for her age, she was still just a kid. As long as she wasn't comfortable with him putting the moves on her, there was no way he was going to risk his job and his reputation by doing inappropriate things with a student that wasn't willing to. The last thing he needed was to have her claim he assaulted her or even tried to kidnap her…

It was hard to tell if he was the only one enamored or not. Yes, she did seem to get easily embarrassed around him and she often checked to see if her makeup was still intact by pulling out her compact mirror from her backpack. She also was the type to blush at the smallest of things and she didn't seem to mind his awkward compliments on her beauty. But was that enough for him to go on? Did she feel a connection between them as well or was she simply being polite? Damn, girls were always so confusing and hard to figure out!

They pulled up to his apartment seconds later, and Adachi rushed out of his car first so he could hurry up and unlock the front door so Rika didn't have to get even more wet while standing around and waiting for him to find his key in his pocket. They both eventually got completely out of the rain as Rika followed Adachi into his small, one-bedroom apartment. It was hard to believe that a young bachelor was living here because of how neat and organized everything was! He had paintings hung up on his wall, potted plants decorating the window sills, and not a single speck of dirt was lying anywhere.

"Wow, you really like to keep things clean!" Rika praised as she stepped out of her wet shoes, placing them by the front door.

"Yeah," Adachi replied with a nod, "Just because I live alone doesn't mean I get to be a slob. I feel more at ease when things are neat and organized."

Rika wished she felt the same. She thought about her dirty clothes that were scattered across her bedroom from the week before and the piles of dishes that were still resting in the kitchen sink. She made a mental note to take care of that stuff when she got home that night!

Adachi slid his wet jacket off of him, hung it on a coat rack, and rubbed the back of his neck in a tired manner. "Um, why don't you take a shower? You're soaked to the bone and I don't want you to catch a cold. I'll put your wet clothes in my dryer, but you can borrow some of my clothes until they're dry."

Rika had sworn she had read something like this in a shoujo manga before. In fact, she was certain she had read about scenarios like this _many_ times. But she knew Adachi was just trying to be polite, and she wasn't really fond of the idea of getting sick, either. She was still a new student, technically, and missing school so early in the semester would only make her get on Mr. Morooka's bad side even more! Taking up his offer, she waited as he retrieved a pair of fresh clothes for her to wear before she stepped into his bathroom. Just like his living room, everything in the bathroom was tidy. He didn't have a traditional Japanese bathtub, but he did have a shower which suited her just fine. She always tended to get overheated and dizzy whenever she took baths at home—she could just never seem to get the temperature down to a tolerable enough level!

She peeled off the wet, sticky clothes from her body and stepped inside. It felt good to warm up in the steamy shower, and the water's gentle touch had a calming effect on her as she expelled a relaxed sigh. She rinsed herself off, used some of his shampoo and strawberry scented body wash, before quickly finishing up to dry herself off. She saw that the clothes he had let her borrow was nothing more than a pair of gray boxers and a large, white button-down shirt. Would having her wearing something like this be _okay?_

The oversized shirt reached to about her thighs but it covered up the boxers completely. While she was combing out the tangles in her hair, she couldn't help but realize she looked kind of _hot_ in his clothes. She definitely didn't mind wearing them—not to mention, they smelled just like Adachi—but something felt a little strange and intimate about wearing his boxers, even if they were clean. Pushing those thoughts through her mind, she stepped out of the bathroom and handed her wet clothes to him so they could be put in the dryer.

"Thanks so much for letting me use your shower!" Rika said, timidly avoiding his gaze. "And thank you for letting me borrow your clothes. I hope me coming over wasn't a bother…"

Adachi was already dressed in a pair of black pajama pants and a casual gray t-shirt. Rika had wondered why Adachi had chosen to let her borrow his boxers and one of his work shirts and not something like his pajama pants instead, but she chose not to question his decision. "Not at all, Rika-chan! And those clothes look good on you, I might add," Adachi teased as he left her standing alone in the living room as he disappeared into the storage room. Saying that she looked "good" was an understatement. If she had looked exquisite before, she looked even more desirable now! Was she aware that she had such long, slender legs? Did she know that she looked better now that her makeup had been completely washed off? Most importantly, was she aware that he could see her perky nipples through the fabric of the white shirt?

As he turned on the dryer, he had to lean his hands against the machine for support. He had accidentally gotten an erection from that brief moment that he watched her come out of the bathroom. He had to take a second to calm down and breathe, but somehow he knew Rika wouldn't say anything about the clothes he had let her borrow. Her purposely chose the thinnest shirt he owned so he could see what curves she was hiding underneath her school uniform, and the boxers were chosen so he could see just how tight and round her ass was when she leaned over. He had no shame in admitting to himself that he was a filthy pervert, but he just hoped Rika remained oblivious and didn't get uncomfortable.

Or he hoped that maybe she would be gladly taking those clothes off her own body for him later.

He straightened his shoulders, took another deep breath, and rejoined Rika in the living room. She was sitting on his couch, admiring the decorations in his apartment, and Adachi quickly took a seat beside her. "How about we watch a movie until the storm passes?"

"Yes, that would be great!" Rika replied, relieved that he had something planned for them to do other than just sit there awkwardly. A movie was just what she needed to get her mind off things and to calm her rapidly beating heart. As she sat on the couch, she kept pulling the shirt down to cover up more of her legs since she felt she was exposing too much of her legs and didn't want to make Adachi uncomfortable. Luckily, after he popped in a random DVD—a scary movie about serial killers was what he selected—he flicked out the lights and they both sat in silence as the movie began to play.

His couch was rather small and their shoulders kept brushing up against each other, but Rika was just relieved that the room was too dark for him to look at her and catch a glimpse of her blushing face. Earlier that day, she had been so excited just to see him! But then they had dinner and now she was suddenly at his apartment, watching a movie with him, and wearing his clothes. She never believed something like this would have ever happened in a million years! She was so nervous, yet so giddy and happy at the same time.

"I'm surprised you're okay with watching a horror movie, Rika-chan," Adachi said out of the blue about forty-five minutes into the movie. Through all the brutal killing scenes in the film, Rika hadn't flinched once.

"Oh, horror movies don't really scare me," she answered. While that was true, she actually hadn't been paying attention to the movie the entire time. She was so focused on the way Adachi had reclined his arm on the back of the couch because it almost felt like he was trying to put his arm around her shoulders. But he seemed so relaxed like he was thoroughly enjoying the movie, so maybe he didn't mean anything by it. Either way, Rika was certain she was going to die of a heart attack by the end of the night! It just was so hard to tell if he was teasing her or not!

Adachi turned his gaze away from the film to look at the girl sitting beside him. The light from the TV's screen was reflecting on her face, and he could see that something was troubling her. "Well, if you're not scared of horror movies. Then what are you afraid of? Ghosts? Monsters? _Murderers?_ "

Rika pondered his question for a moment. Out of everything in the world, what did she fear most? It was only natural that she was afraid of things that could physically harm her, but it was the damage to her heart and spirit that terrified her the most.

"Heartbreak," she answered him after a moment. "I'm afraid of having my heart broken. It's why I rarely open up to people. I don't want to be toyed with, only to find out that I don't mean anything to the person I thought actually cared about me. I've had countless people claim to be my friend, only to shove me to the side or stab me in the back. I'd rather come face to face with a ghost or a murderer than feel my heart shatter into a million pieces."

 _How poetic_ , Adachi thought to himself. He thought she might have said something along the lines of being afraid of the dark or that she had a phobia of spiders. Turns out she had been through a lot of grief over the years; her heart was the thing she wanted to protect most.

And yet, little did she know she was sitting beside a murderer. She had dined with a man who could easily slit her throat and throw her into the Shadow World, and she was completely vulnerable. If he so wished, he could kill her without any effort and she could just be another victim on his list. But she had said she feared heartbreak of anything. Would she still say the same thing if she knew that it was Adachi who killed Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi and that he didn't plan to stop with just them?

"Well, let's hope you don't ever have to worry about running into ghosts or murderers," he said, cracking a smirk at the irony of his statement. "But I also hope you don't meet anyone who breaks your heart either. Any guy that refuses to cherish you would have to be a complete and total idiot."

Testing the limits of her comfort levels, Adachi scooted in a bit closer to her. She was very adamant about keeping her eyes glued to the movie, but just as another character was brutally slaughtered with an axe by the murderer, Adachi tucked his finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "You know, if you were mine, I would cherish you. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to your heart."

It took a second for his words to register. Did he just say what she think he said?! Her throat went dry and she swallowed to ease the tension in her throat, but it didn't really help her find the words to reply back to him.

Adachi had her right where he wanted her. She was too shy to speak, but the dilation of her pupils said it all—she was infatuated with him. In fact, she had probably been infatuated with him the moment she met him. But would that be enough for her to surrender herself to him? "Rika, I like you," Adachi said bluntly. He had hoped maybe all of his previous flirtations would have given her a clue that he was into her, but apparently it hadn't been enough. Sometimes girls needed to have things spelled out for them. "I like you a lot, actually. Do you like me, too?"

She remained silent, and Adachi was starting to wonder if he had moved too quickly. Rika was cute, sweet, charming, and was a breath of fresh air to him. He had been under a crazy amount of stress after having to deal with Mayumi and Saki, but Rika's presence relaxed him. He wasn't sure how far things could go, seeing as how there was a gap in their age, but he certainly wanted to keep her around for as long as he could. Just so long as she didn't find out any of his secrets…

"I…I do like you, Adachi," Rika answered him, her lower lip quivering. "But, I look at you and I can see that you are easily capable of crushing my heart. And it scares me. You're the first guy that I've actually felt drawn to… I don't want to be toyed with."

Even though it seemed like her object of affection was returning her feelings, she still somehow managed to remain sensible and wasn't simply flinging herself at him like other girls might have done. That was something Adachi could respect her for, for sure! "Well, I can't promise that your heart would be completely safe with me. After all, you and I come from two very different worlds. I've got a really important job to do, and getting involved with someone like me could put you at risk. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to see me anymore."

He pulled away from her, his hands falling to his lap as his shoulders slumped forward. "Plus, I'm an old man. I can see why you wouldn't trust me not to toy with you, either. Adults are dark, pitiful creatures. It's best not trust them, even me…"

Rika wasn't sure how to respond to such a dark, gloomy statement. Even if lots of adults weren't trustworthy, that didn't mean _all_ of them were terrible, right? "Well," Rika muttered, reaching forward to place a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Sometimes you have to give people a chance to see if their trustworthy or not. Trust is something you just have to build along the way."

"Are you willing to build it with me, then?" Adachi said, sliding his gaze over to meet hers.

She didn't know where her answer would lead her. If she said no, would she able to just forget about him and move on? If she said yes, would she get swept away in her feelings for him? Perhaps that is what made life most exciting; no one ever knew what the future would bring. But for the first time in her life, Rika was willing to take a chance. He might end up crushing her heart later, but at least she know she gave him a chance and didn't let fear stop her.

"As long as you promise to cherish me like you said you would," Rika added with a small smile before she leaned over to kiss his cheek. It was all happening so fast that it was hard to wrap her head around it all, but she was fairly certain she and Adachi just confessed their feelings for each other. But…what now?

Adachi didn't make her wait too long to figure out what came next. He lifted up his head, closed the distance between them, and let his lips find hers in a slow, gentle kiss. Rika had never been kissed before. At her old school, some of the boys in her class had tried to get her to meet them under the mistletoe during Christmas time. A lot of the girls in her class had been curious enough about kissing that they willingly pressed their lips against the boys' as they dangled the mistletoe over their heads. Rika, however, was far from interested in kissing the boys in her class. She believed that kissing was something intimate that only needed to happen between two people who shared a connection. She had imagined her first kiss would make her heart beat fast, make her soul feel like it was soaring in the air, and make her mind believe that everything was right in the world.

And Adachi's kiss did all that and more.

He let his lips linger on hers for a few moments longer before he pulled away to search her eyes for any signs of hesitance. "I'm sorry," Adachi whispered, his breath tickling her cheeks from his close proximity. "I just really can't help myself around you. Would it be okay if I kissed you again?"

"That would be more than okay," she answered. This time, she was the one to lean forward as she initiated their second kiss. Adachi gladly accepted her kiss as he wrapped his arm around her, his hand cradling the back of her head as he gently ran his hands through her ebony tresses. Rika's toes curled underneath her as she felt herself unwinding in his arms; this was all just too good to be true!

The kiss started out gentle and tender, but Adachi's impatience began to grow as he decided to nibble on her lower lip. His teeth were gentle as they nipped at her lip, but when Rika responded by letting out a tiny gasp, Adachi seized his opportunity and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Even though it surprised her, Rika didn't try to pull away. Instead, she allowed his tongue to coax hers into dancing with his, and the intensity of the kiss left Rika's head spinning. He tasted like peppermint—she guessed he must have popped one in while she was using his shower—and she couldn't help but get more excited as his kiss became a bit more forceful. His tongue kept exploring every inch of her mouth before he finally pulled away so she could catch her breath.

He could see that the kiss had sparked a fire within her as she gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her, but seeing that she was still just a virgin, was she even aware of what it meant to have a deep need for someone? Her body was probably reacting to his advances in the strangest of ways, and he could see she was curious to know why she was feeling this way towards him. He was more than happy to help her discover her sexuality as long as she was willing to let him guide her through the process.

He went in for another kiss, but this time his lips connected with the soft skin on her neck. Rika reflexively tilted her head back as he sucked on the delicate flesh of her neck, goosebumps forming up and down her spine as she shivered from his touch. Adachi was determined to cover her neck with lots of sensual hickeys to let the world know that this beautiful woman was going to be his and his alone. He was very possessive when it came to his lovers, and Rika would be no exception. He was thrilled that he was the first man that was able to kiss and touch her, but he would have to make it known that he was going to be the last man to do so as well. No one else was allowed to touch what was his.

He moved his lips from her neck to her ears where he nibbled on her earlobe to turn her on just a bit more. "I want to make you mine, Rika," Adachi whispered, his husky voice making her feel hotter with each passing second. She remained perfectly still as her breath hitched in her throat. Her whole body was extremely tense from the anticipation of the situation, and she wasn't sure how she should respond to his advances. No man had ever gotten this close to her and being kissed in such a sensual manner made her feel warm in between her legs. Whatever Adachi was doing to her, she didn't want him to stop.

Since she wasn't stopping him, Adachi decided it must be okay for him to go a little bit further. His hand reached up to unbutton the top button of the shirt she was wearing, but Rika's reflexes kicked in really quickly and she jerked up to grab a hold of his wrist.

"Ah, um, please wait!" Rika blurted out, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink.

"What's the matter, Rika-chan?" Adachi asked with an innocent smile, as if he hadn't been about to do something incredibly dirty to the little virgin in front of him.

She hopped off the couch until she was standing, her hands clasping the shirt closed from where he had unbuttoned it. "I…um…Adachi-san…What are we doing?"

Adachi looked at her, blinking a few times in confusion. "I thought it should have been obvious what we were doing, but maybe I should have been a bit more romantic about it?"

Rika wasn't sure what he meant, but she looked away from him bashfully nonetheless. She knew exactly what they were about to do, but she wasn't sure if she was ready or not. They had just kissed, after all. Wasn't it a bit too soon to be jumping into _that_? Then again, Adachi was an adult. He was probably used to things like sex and probably didn't realize that a girl's first time was special to her.

"I'm sorry, Rika," Adachi muttered, his smile dropping into a frown. "I didn't realize I was pushing you too far. It's just that I've been crazy about you since the moment I met you and I kept fantasizing about having the chance to make love to you. But I never thought you would go for a guy like me until tonight, so it's really hard for me to restrain myself. If you'd rather, I can just go ahead and take you home—"

At that moment, all of the lights in his apartment began to flicker as a loud crash of thunder boomed outside. Seconds again, everything went completely dark and Rika froze.

"Looks like the power went out. Talk about bad timing…" Adachi said before standing up from the couch. His feet padded along the carpet until he was standing right beside her. Even though it was pitch black in his living room, Rika could still see the outline of his silhouette as he approached her. "Are you scared? Don't move, I'll go find a flashlight—"

Before Adachi left her side, Rika reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, her face burying into his chest. Her sudden embrace left Adachi speechless as she tightened her grip around him. "Yes, I'm scared. I'm scared of what will happen if we have sex. I'm not as grown up or mature as you—what if you decide you don't like me or what if I'm not good at it? I don't want you to get bored of me and toss me out."

So that's why she was so hesitant to let him continue? She was afraid he wouldn't like her after they had sex? Girls were always so cute when they were shy and insecure. He patted the back of her head in a soothing manner before he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Rika, I'm not like other guys," Adachi said, "and I promise there is nothing to worry about. I'm not going to toss you out, okay? I really like you and I want to spend more time with you. You can trust me, Rika. I just want to show you what real pleasure is like because I think you'd find that you really enjoy it."

His words were able to calm her down just a bit as he continued stroking her hair. She still wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but it wasn't as if she ever actually wanted Adachi to stop what he was doing earlier; she just wanted to make sure he actually cared about her and wouldn't abandon her in the morning.

"Also, I think it'd be impossible for you to be bad at sex. I mean, can't you tell just how badly I want you right now?" Adachi added, a playful grin on his face. His erection was throbbing inside of his pants as Rika's body remained pressed up against him. "I really, really like you, Rika. I promise everything will be okay. You can trust me." She could feeling his hardness pressing against her hips, and she actually felt a bit flattered that he was so turned on by her already. Maybe he really was just as crazy about her as he claimed to be?

Rika kept herself wrapped in his arms, cheek resting against his chest, before she finally made up her mind. Earlier, she had told Adachi that she was willing to trust him, and even if it was extremely risky, she decided to put that trust to the test. She finally nodded before standing on her tip-toes, her lips searching for his once more. He kissed her back but soon pulled away so he could scoop her up in his arms. With his elbows tucked underneath her knees, he cradled her in his arms and carried her towards his bedroom. Even though it was dark, he was able to maneuver himself down the hallway and into his bedroom while still holding the petite girl in his arms.

He set her down on the bed carefully before scurrying over to his nightstand. Rika could hear him feeling around in his wooden drawers, searching for something until a match was suddenly being lit. "I always keep a set of matches and a candle on my dresser in case the power goes out," Adachi commented as he held the match over the candle. It didn't brighten up the room very much, but now they were at least able to see. The candle's flame danced a little bit as it cast Adachi's shadow on a nearby wall as he slowly approached the bed she was sitting on.

"I don't want to do anything to you that you might regret later so I'll ask you one more time," the brunette stated, his expression turning serious. "Are you okay with this? Because I may not be able to stop myself later on if you randomly get cold feet again."

Although his words were kind of cold, they only served to further accelerate her heartbeat. Rika wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but he looked kind of scary standing there as something dark seemed to glimmer in his gray eyes. Either way, she had already made up her mind—she wanted to be with him.

"I'm ready," was all she replied.

Practically pouncing on her, Adachi pinned the girl down underneath him with his body, his lips hungrily attacking hers as he shoved his tongue inside of her mouth once again. He didn't intend to be so rough with her at first, but he was so tired of waiting to have her. All of their heated kisses earlier had driven him crazy, and he was so relieved she had given him consent. There's no way he could have held himself back after making out on the couch so erotically. Even though he was kissing her with much more intensity and urgency than before, Rika didn't seem to mind. She tried to reciprocate his kisses with just as much fervor as he had, but it was hard for her to keep up.

"Just relax, Rika," Adachi said as he pried his lips off of hers for a moment. "I'm going to make this a night you'll never forget. Just lay back and I'll take good care of you."

She shyly nodded as he set out to finally undo all the buttons of her shirt. Of course, she hadn't been wearing a bra and her luscious breasts were exposed to his view once he opened up the top. She looked so beautiful in the dim lighting of the room, and Adachi couldn't wait to see the rest of her as he tucked his fingers inside the hem of the boxers she was wearing and pulled them down and off her hips. He commended himself on his excellent choice of a wardrobe for her since it was so easy to undress her.

" _Damn it_ , Rika," Adachi said as he marveled over her beautiful nude form while she lay sprawled out on his mattress. "You're so perfect. You look good enough to _eat."_ She had one arm covering her breasts as her legs were tightly closed together in hopes of maintaining her last bit of modesty in front of him. She didn't like that she was the only one fully unclothed because it made her feel self-conscious, but she could tell Adachi was greatly enjoying it. His eyes were glued to her form as if he were trying to forever imbed the image of her body into his mind.

He moved her arm to the side, exposing her breasts once more, before he reached out and cupped them both in each of his hands. They were just as soft as he pictured them to be, and their size couldn't have been more ideal since they fit perfectly in his palms. Rika bit her lower lip as he squeezed her mounds, and it made her look even sexier than before. He couldn't wait to see what other expressions she would be making before the night was over as he lowered his head in between her cleavage before taking one of her perky nipples into his mouth. Rika's whole body tensed up as he swiped his tongue across her peak, making it stiffen in his mouth. He had to remind himself to be gentle after he made the careless mistake of biting down on her sensitive bud a little too hard which had caused Rika to release a sharp squeak of both surprise and pain. He didn't apologize though, he just kissed her breast a few times to let her know he would be more mindful of his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was be too rough with her during their first time.

The _really_ kinky stuff could come later.

He reluctantly had to pull his mouth away from her nipples, but he had a new destination in mind. He kissed a trail down from her breasts and all the way to her navel. She had such a cute tummy that he showered in kisses before he kissed his way downwards a little more. He placed both hands on her knees to pry her legs apart, but Rika seemed a bit hesitant to let his mouth continue its journey lower.

"A-Adachi, please! N-Not there!" Rika stammered out as she watched him lower his head in between her legs.

"Relax, Rika," he consoled her as he positioned her thighs so they were draped over his shoulders. "This is something you're going to enjoy the most, I bet." _I am going to enjoy it, too,_ he thought to himself with a grin. All of the attention he had given her breasts had caused her smooth, pink flower to glisten with her arousal. He kissed her inner folds first before he flicked out his tongue to taste her essence. She smelled so delightful, like the strawberry body wash he had in his shower, but she tasted even better than real strawberries. Rika's whole body was twitching involuntarily as he licked at her moist center, and she had to hold onto the bedsheets underneath her to keep her from writhing around too much.

He licked at her diamond-shaped clit, the sounds of her gentle moaning a beautiful melody to his ears while his tongue traced circles against her most sensitive spot. Rika was able to get over her embarrassment rather quickly as she closed her eyes, enjoying the way his mouth felt upon her. To think something so lecherous could feel so amazing! She was getting so aroused from his relentless licking and Adachi knew he had made the right choice to start her off with something like oral. With his lips curled around her clit, sucking on it tenderly, he brought up his hand so he could slide in one of his fingers into her opening. She was getting so hot and so wet that he was able to glide it inside of her with ease. She was unbelievably tight inside and he could hardly wait to see how good it would feel to be inside of her inner channel. Even so, he wasn't about to rush. He wasn't going to stop licking until she came for the first time on his tongue.

Rika was breathing extremely heavy by now, her eyes closed tight as her whole body began to quiver with a sudden urge to break free. The way his tongue teased her slit as his fingers pumped inside of her was all becoming too much for her to handle and she could feel something building inside of her. All it took was one more lick and Rika found herself being thrown into a whirlwind of pleasure and ecstasy. Adachi licked away her sweet juices as Rika climaxed into his mouth. She wanted to scream out his name, but it was impossible for her to form any words. All that managed to escape her lips was a long, drawn out moan.

She finally settled down after a moment and Adachi sat up before wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. Rika was completely out of breath, her chest rising up and down, as she reveled in the after effects on her very first orgasm. "W-What…just happened?" the young girl asked, peering up at Adachi with a dazed look in her eyes.

Adachi smirked. "You just came. And it tasted very delicious, I might add."

Rika blushed furiously before trying to cover her face with her hands. Adachi just laughed at such a cute gesture before he grabbed her wrists and pulled them away so he could kiss her nose. "Don't be so embarrassed, Rika! Everything you're feeling is perfectly normal. I wanted to make you cum so you could see for yourself just how good it feels to be intimate with someone."

It really had felt incredible, and she was so impressed by how gentle Adachi had been with her. Maybe there really was nothing for her to worry about after all!

Adachi finally began to undress himself as he pulled his shirt over his head. He wasn't extremely buff or anything, but he had a nice set of toned abdomen muscles, making it plain to see that he was rather physically fit despite having a lean frame. He slid off the bed for a moment to pull his pants down over his hips before he kicked them to the side along with his boxers. His erection was long and thick, and Rika quickly turned away to keep from staring at it.

"Come on, now! Don't be shy! It's okay to look," he teased her as he leaned forward to poke her cheek lightly.

Rika allowed herself to look back at him as he stood beside the bed confidently, his arms folded over his chest. Other than the occasional unsolicited pornographic photos that would pop up whenever she accidentally clicked on the wrong website, Rika had never actually seen a naked man. Adachi's masculine body was definitely a sight worth marveling at, and she still found it so hard to believe that a man as handsome as him was interested in a girl like her. But of course, this wasn't the time to let her insecurities get the better of her.

"Would you like to touch it, Rika?" Adachi asked, enjoying the fact that now she was staring at him, she couldn't seem to look away. Without even waiting for an answer, he reached forward and seized her wrist, bringing her hand towards his long shaft as she was forced to sit closer to the edge of the bed. "Here, you grip the base of it like this…and then move your hand up and down like this." With Rika's hand in his, he gave her a step by step instructional lesson on how to properly stroke his manhood. The whole time Rika looked extremely intimidated by its size, but she soon became more comfortable as he released her grip on her and let her fully take control. She glided her hand up and down his length just as she had been told to do, but she still wasn't sure if she was doing a good job or not. But once she looked up at his face and saw his relaxed expression, she realized she must have been doing something right.

She kept rubbing her hand along his cock, noticing just how hard and stiff it felt in her palm, before Adachi reached out his hand to grip the back of her head, pushing her face towards his member. "Do you want to make me feel _really_ good, Rika-chan? Take it in your mouth and start sucking on it."

Although Rika would have been more than happy to pleasure him with her mouth the way he had done for her, Adachi really didn't give her much of a choice in the matter as he forcefully inserted the tip of his manhood through her lips. Rika nearly choked as he pushed it further into her mouth, but Adachi knew she was tough enough to handle it.

" _Ah,_ yeah. That's a good girl," he praised her as she took as much as she could fit into her mouth until it reached the back of her throat. "Just suck on it and nice and hard for me."

It probably should have bothered her that he was being so demanding and forceful, but seeing as that she had no experience in this field, she didn't exactly mind being told what to do. His hand on the back of her head was guiding her as she slid his cock in and out of her mouth at a slow pace. Adachi's breathing was labored as her tongue kept gliding along his highly sensitive head, and he inwardly applauded her for not accidentally scraping his flesh with her teeth. The only problem he had with her oral skills was that she was too damn good at it and he was already about to cum even though they first started!

" _Fuck_ , Rika!" He swore, gritting his teeth. "I'm about to cum all in your mouth! I want you to swallow it all down, baby."

She wasn't used to hearing the sweet and good natured Adachi talk so dirty, but something about it had her body growing hot all over again. She sucked on him a bit harder as his fingers began to tangle themselves in her hair, roughly tugging on it as he could no longer hold himself back. He exploded into her mouth, his hot, thick liquid shooting into the back of her throat. Rika's first instinct was to pull away as it fired into her mouth, but Adachi had wanted her to swallow down every last drop. He refused to release his grip on her hair until she drank down everything, and it took all of her willpower not to cough or gasp for air. After a few long seconds, he finally let go her as he let out a loud, exasperated sigh.

"Where did you learn to suck cock like that? I thought you were a virgin!"

"I promise I've never done anything like that before…I guess I just have a good really teacher?"

This girl was indeed something special. She was the perfect blend of innocent and sexy; he couldn't wait to corrupt this little angel even more and make her completely his. He roughly shoved her on her back as he towered over her, eyes piercing into hers as he pinned her arms over her head. "I can't wait any longer, Rika," he warned her, licking his lips, "I want to make you mine. Are you ready?"

Whether she was ready or not, he didn't care—he was going to make her his lover whether she liked it or not. He pushed open her legs once again before reaching out his hand to stroke her pussy gently, making sure she was still wet enough for him. Even though he desperately wanted to just pound into her, he didn't want to hurt her in the process. He was typically dominant in bed, but he had no intentions of making this painful for her if he could avoid it. "I'm going to put it in now, Rika. If it hurts too much, I'll slow down. If the pain gets to be too much, you're more than welcome to bite me or scratch me if it will make you feel better."

He was already hard and ready to go again; his craving for her was too strong for him to fight against. She weakly nodded as he lowered the tip of his member to her entrance. Needless to say, she was terrified of the pain but she trusted that he would be gentle with her. With her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, she held onto his shoulders for support as he pushed through her virgin barriers and entered inside of her.

Adachi remained still for a moment, content to simply be inside of this beautiful girl. He could tell she was in pain because of how tense her muscles were, but he was confident it would go away with time. He just needed to help relax her. In order to do that, he pressed his lips against her throat, covering her in more hickeys while he used one of his hands to stroke her clit. Both of these erotic sensations caused Rika to start panting heavily as she grinded her hips against his, urging him to keep going. Adachi liked how eager she was to get started, and he began to ease his cock out of her only to bury it right back in. Even though his girth stretched her walls, forcing her muscles to tighten around him, something about it felt rather intoxicating. Rika liked the way it felt when he slid himself inside of her to the point where she was able to ignore the pain and focus on how good it felt to have him inside of her.

"Rika, you're so tight," he whispered into her ear. "You feel _amazing_."

He picked up his pace, rocking his hips back and forward as he started fucking her a bit harder. Rika's moans began to rise to a crescendo the deeper he penetrated her, and it let him know that he didn't have to worry so much about hurting her. He even clamped his jaw down on her neck, roughly biting her while she unknowingly began to dig her nails into her shoulder blades while trying to hold onto him for support. Sweat was glistening off their bodies as the friction between them grew even more intense. With Adachi's finger still teasing her clit and with his cock slamming against her G-spot, it came as no surprise that Rika was the first to come undone.

"A-Adachi! I'm about to…about to…" Rika cried out.

"I want you to say my name as you cum, Rika. _Say it_ ," Adachi commanded her. Although it was initially kind of cute that she had only referred to him by his last name, he wanted to hear how sweetly his first name would sound on her lips as she orgasmed.

"Toru! Toru! Toru, _I'm coming_!"

He could feel her inner muscles constricting around his length as she came in sync with his heavy thrusts. She was even wetter than before and her nectar coated his manhood. Unable to take anymore, Adachi climaxed as well as he emptied himself into her hot core, not even caring that he had completely forgotten to use a condom. Well, it was too late to worry about that now; he would just have to deal with the consequences later if it came to it. The deed had already been done and his hot, sticky cum was already filling up inside of her. Adachi thrust into her a few more times, riding out the rest of his orgasm, before he pulled out.

The couple both rested on their backs and stared up at the ceiling, completely breathless. Rika's whole body was still tingling from her orgasms, and she could hardly believe just how invigorating that had been. She finally understood what the hype was about sex and why all of her classmates were always talking about it. Even though she just lost her virginity, she was extremely glad she had ultimately decided to give it away to Adachi. He had made her feel so fulfilled and content; it was as if all the stress from the previous weeks had completely melted away.


	4. Chapter 4

She had woken up the next morning to the savory smell of crispy bacon tickling her nostrils. Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, Rika reached for the oversized shirt she had worn to bed last night that was now lying the ground. She slipped it on over her head, used her fingers to comb down the strands of her hair that had been tousled from the night before, and made her way to the kitchen. Adachi had woken up first and decided to make her a hearty breakfast as he wore that same adorable, goofy grin that Rika had grown to love so much.

He was already dressed and ready for work in his black suit but he wore a silly little apron around his waist to keep himself from spilling grease all over his pants as a handful of bacon popped and danced inside the skillet in his hand. "I hope me making breakfast isn't too awkward for you," Adachi said, "considering I'm not the best cook in the world. I hope you like your bacon kind of roasted because that's the way it all turned out." He was so used to grabbing take out and wasn't very skilled with cooking. The bacon was burnt to a blackened crisp and the eggs were so salty that she was sure he had dunked them in the ocean first before seasoning. Nevertheless, not a single complaint escaped her lips as she nibbled on the salty mess of scrambled eggs. She was touched over his kindness and his willingness to do something thoughtful for her, especially considering the erotic night they had the night before.

"You know, I still can't believe that happened," Adachi said nonchalantly as he slid into the seat across from hers at his dining table. "Last night was like a dream."

She blushed at his tender words as she sipped her orange juice quietly, unsure of what to say. "It really did feel like a dream. One I hope I don't end up waking up from," she replied as she watched him nibble on a piece of toast.

She knew she had a crush on Adachi, but it was still hard to comprehend everything that happened. It happened all so fast and Rika was still coming to terms that she just lost her virginity to a man she barely knew. At the time it seemed like such a great idea, but what if she regretted it later? What if it turned out that Adachi was just in fact using her for her body? Then again, he did just make her breakfast. Didn't most guys try to slip out of bed and disappear before their partner woke up during one night stands? Was last night even considered a one night stand? Oh, this whole situation was so confusing! Rika cursed herself for being so ignorant with things like romance and sex.

"Are you okay, Rika? You seem kind out of sorts," Adachi interrupted her train of thought as he reached out to place a gentle hand on top of hers. "Are you upset about last night? Did…we move too fast?"

Averting his gaze, her eyes fell on her lap as a few strands of dark hair fell in front of her face. "I'm just…a little unsure about things. I mean, you're an adult and I'm just a kid. I'm just worried that all the things you said last night were just for show and that you'll probably never call or speak to me again after today…"

Adachi nearly fell over in his chair. "Rika! Don't say that! You know I meant every single word I said last night! I wasn't just trying to get into your pants!"

"I know that, but… I'm still in high school. And you've got a really great job. What if being with someone like me puts your job in jeopardy?" She bit her lower lip, eyes still focused on her lap. It frightened her too much to meet his gaze. What if she saw something she didn't want to see within them? What if she could see a reality she didn't want to face; a reality that told her they shouldn't actually be together?

"You know I don't care about that. I mean, sure my job is important because it helps pay the bills so I do think we need to be careful about making sure we're not seen together doing anything, uh, _indecent_ in public, but I believe we can make this work!" He hoped he didn't sound like he was contradicting himself too much, but the way she kept looking down let him know that she was genuinely worried about where their relationship was going. There was no denying he certainly felt a spark with Rika; last night made that quite obvious. He had no plans of simply using Rika for sex and nothing more since he had grown rather fond of the girl. In just a few years, she would mature into a beautiful, sophisticated woman with a glorious future ahead of her in any field she could dream of pursuing—just the kind of woman Adachi dreamed of having!

But there had been another development in his sick, twisted world. Something _huge_. Something he wasn't sure he wanted Rika to get wrapped up in.

After Rika had fallen asleep that night, Adachi had tuned into the Midnight Channel. The Midnight Channel was still a huge mystery to Adachi, but he found himself checking it every single night when it rained outside. Despite Rika being snuggled up in his bed, drained from their passionate love-making, he made sure to quietly turn on the TV and observe the screen.

So far, all of the individuals that had shown up on the Midnight Channel were people that had been abducted by Adachi himself and tossed into the television world—Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. But this time, a new victim had appeared on the screen. It was plain to see that it was Yukiko Amagi—her voice, smile, and girlish appearance gave it away completely despite the fact her personality had completely changed—but Adachi was utterly confused as to why she had shown up. After all, Adachi hadn't thrown her into the television world after he knew that people would die once they were stuck inside of that dark and dreary realm. He didn't feel a hint of remorse over killing Mayumi and Saki—those two bitches deserved it ,after all—but he had planned on being very careful with his next move as to not get caught. The last thing he needed was to be suspected of murder. So why was Yukiko Amagi showing up on the Midnight Channel if he had no plans of throwing her in from the start? Yukiko was nothing more than a haughty brat that worked for her family's inn; she posed no threat and seemed to have no idea that he was behind the deaths of the other women.

Adachi had sat on the bed for nearly thirty minutes after the Midnight Channel ended. So many thoughts whirled through his mind as he stared at the static on his television set, trying to make sense of the whole ordeal. He went over every possible scenario in his head, but he just couldn't seem to figure out why Yukiko Amagi would have shown up on the TV. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened that week…had it? He vaguely recalled a brief phone conversation with Tarou Namatame, Mayumi Yamano's mysterious lover, who had some suspicions about the Midnight Channel and had tried to report it to the police. At the time, Adachi found it almost laughable that the crazy man actually thought the police could do something about those who showed up on the Midnight Channel. Figuring he could toy with Tarou, Adachi suggested that he find those who showed up on the Midnight Channel and find a way to "keep them safe". At the time, he didn't think much of it. After all, no one would believe Tarou about the Midnight Channel and there's no way he would actually do something about the victims, even if he had been completely distraught over his lover's death.

But perhaps Adachi had misjudged him. What if Tarou was planning on kidnapping Yukiko and throwing her into the TV world to keep her safe, not having the slightest clue it was the Shadows of that world that brought upon their execution? It would only be a matter of time before Yukiko was killed and devoured by the monstrous Shadows within that world. Adachi didn't care, of course, so as long as the girl's death wasn't connected to him in any way. But if Tarou was planning on throwing individuals into the TV world as well, he could possibly use this man as a scapegoat later if push came to shove.

"Adachi-san, is something bothering you?" Rika asked, noticing that the young man had gone completely silent as he stared down at his plate of charcoaled bacon.

Adachi snapped his head up immediately, his lips twisting into his usual, lopsided grin. "Sorry, it seems like I'm still a little worn out from all the fun we had last night." He gave her a quick wink, making her blush as she fidgeted nervously with the napkin on her lap.

"But, uh, anyways, Rika-chan," he said, continuing to smile. "I definitely believe we can make this work. Why don't we try going on a date in the next town over next time I have a day off? There's this movie I've been dying to see and I'd love to treat you to some icecream."

She was still unsure. If Adachi was caught going on dates with a minor, he could be penalized at his job or even be looking at possible jail time. Was it really worth it?

He could read her like a book. It was obvious that she was worried about him and that made Adachi want to chase her even more and make her his. She was beautiful, sweet, and caring—the perfect woman in every way. As long as she didn't learn the truth about the murders, he saw no problem in keeping her around for a while. He enjoyed her company and he was eager to see what kind of relationship could spark between them, no matter how sinful or disgraceful it would turn out to be. "Rika, I promise everything will be okay. Won't you be mine? I don't think I could bare it if you walked out of my life right now. Not after the night we had together…"

His words stabbed her through the heart like a knife. It would be painful for her, too, to suddenly be forced to forget about Adachi after the romantic evening they had shared. If she was being honest with herself, she never wanted to leave Adachi's side despite only knowing him for a short while.

"I…I guess as long as we're super careful about seeing each other in public, I think we could give it a shot," she said after a long pause.

Nothing delighted Adachi more than to hear her say that. He finished up his breakfast, chugged down the rest of his coffee, and stood up to clean the dishes once Rika was done eating as well. "I'll give you a ride to school. That shouldn't be _too_ suspicious, but I may have to park a block away from your school grounds. Will that be okay?"

Rika smiled and gathered up her things. Her school uniform had been washed and dried the night before so she was ready to take on the day without a need to go back to her place. However, Adachi wasn't about to let her walk out the door without giving him a sweet kiss.

He grabbed both of her wrists in his palms, tugging her to his chest as his lips met hers in a warm, enticing kiss. Rika practically melted in his arms as he held her in his grasp, allowing his tongue to flicker out and taste the sweetness of the strawberry lip gloss that lightly coated her pink lips. Adachi had such a strong impact on her to the point that it was impossible for her to pull away from him. Her knees felt weak as his lips claimed hers, and she didn't even put up much of a fight when he reached down to cup one of her round ass cheeks in his hand. She knew it would be a bad idea for them to keep fooling around like this, especially because the clock was ticking and she would be late for school if she didn't hurry up, but her body wouldn't move. She simply allowed Adachi to ravish her mouth with his until the brunette got his fill of her sweet, savory kisses.

He pulled away with a smirk, taking note of the dazed look in her enchanting eyes as she gazed back at him longingly. She didn't want the kiss to end and neither did Adachi, but they would have plenty of time to explore more of their bodies' hidden desires in due time.

"Let's get you to school before the first bell rings, shall we?"

Almost two weeks had passed since Rika and Adachi had spent the night together. And, if Rika was being honest with herself, everything had happened so fast, so _suddenly_ , to the point it was still impossible to wrap her head around it all.

She hadn't seen him at all since she spent the night with him, but she could only guess it was because he was insanely busy with work. Things had been a little strange in her world as well. Yukiko had been out of school for awhile, presumably sick, and all of her close friends had been acting strange because of it. It was natural for Chie to be wrought with worry over anything having to do with Yukiko, but even Yosuke and Yu were acting bizarre. Anytime Rika asked them a question about Yukiko's health, they would give her short responses and appear mildly uncomfortable. Rika couldn't help but wonder if they were hiding something from her, but it wasn't as if it was any of her business. All she could do during that time was hope that Yukiko would make a speedy recovery and come back to school once she was feeling like herself. Luckily, a week later, she came back and everything was fine.

And yet, something still felt extremely _off_.

Rika wished her bond with her friends was closer, especially with Chie and Yukiko. She desperately wished she had a female friend to chat about her problems with although she suspected Adachi wouldn't want her dropping his name to anyone. It was best if no one—especially her classmates—knew about their secret scandal.

Adachi had been sure to text her sweet messages every morning to help brighten up her day, but Rika missed his actual presence. Even so, there was no way she was going to let herself become too clingy or obsessive over him. She knew that if Adachi was able to see her, he would make it possible. It's not like he was ignoring her or anything, right?

Of course, it was difficult to push those negative thoughts to the side. Especially when she would text him goodnight only to have to wait two hours for him to respond after midnight with a simple reply of, " _Sweet dreams, Rika-chan_." How could one person have such a strong effect on her? One minute she would be happy as she daydreamed about the night they spent together, and the next she would be depressed because she hadn't heard a word from him. Was this was love was like? Was it supposed to be a crazy whirlwind of emotions? She wondered if these type of emotions were normal for someone experiencing the first tastes of love.

Rika rested her head down on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling as a breeze fluttered in from the open window of her bedroom, swaying her curtains. It was cold in her room and she missed the feeling of Adachi's warm body against hers. If she knew just how painful it would be to miss him, would she have still chosen to let him sweep her off her feet two weeks ago? She pulled the covers over her head, a deep groan escaping the back of her throat. At this point, she wasn't sure what she truly meant to Adachi. Was she his girlfriend? A secret lover? A friend with benefits? She wanted to be the first option more than anything, but she really should have known better than to get involved with an older man.

Her cell phone buzzed on her dresser, and Rika quickly threw the covers off of her as she bolted up in bed. It was probably one of Adachi's usual good night text messages that were almost two hours too late, but this message was longer than the others as Rika flipped open her phone to quickly scan over the words.

" _Good night, Rika! I'm sorry I haven't been the best boyfriend to you lately. I have to work late again tomorrow, but why don't you stop by the office around 10:00 pm? I'll be the only one there and it would make me extremely happy to see your beautiful face!"_

Skeptical, Rika had to remind herself not to overthink his message. But he did just say that he was her boyfriend, did he not? That wasn't something that had been officially established before since Adachi had never actually formally requested for Rika to be, well, his _girlfriend_. Why did relationships and dating have to be so complicated?

A pink blush dusted her cheeks as she struggled to find the right words to reply. She was happy—delighted, actually—that he wanted to see her. Would it be too risky to visit him at his work place though? He did say he would be the only person there, but that seemed to be kind of a reckless decision on his part.

" _Are you sure that's a good idea_?" She texted back. " _I don't want to risk you getting in trouble_."

His response came back twenty seconds later. Not that she was counting, of course. " _Don't worry about it, Rika-chan. I wouldn't suggest it if I thought we'd get in trouble."_

She chastised herself for being so compliant with him considering the fact that he had pretty much neglected her all week long whether it was on purpose or not. But she still agreed to meet him at his work place the following evening. She also figured she could bring him a home-cooked meal to his work place. Knowing Adachi, he had probably eaten nothing but take out all week long. He could use some nutrition in his diet.

For the first time in two weeks, Rika fell asleep with her heart pleasantly fluttering in her chest. She pictured his face as she closed her eyes, excited to see her boyfriend again.


	5. Chapter 5

Unable to contain her excitement, Rika dashed out of her apartment carrying the container of freshly cooked dinner that she had prepared for Adachi. Tonight's dish was Chinese styled fried rice with shrimp, a healthy serving of vegetables, a few side dishes including soup and salad, and some homemade cakes and cookies for dessert! She realized a little too late that she might have gone overboard with the cooking, but she was too restless over the thought of seeing Adachi later that night that she just couldn't sit still and had spent the entire evening cooking. Hopefully Adachi would have a huge appetite later, but if not there would be plenty of leftovers for him to munch on the following day.

Rika was skipping down the street at nine o'clock in the evening, humming a cheery tune. Even though it was dark, she wasn't feeling particularly frightened since she knew she was about to see her boyfriend. Her hair was pulled back into a pretty, sparkly hair clip and she had paid special attention to her wardrobe that night. Adachi had pretty much only seen Rika in her school uniform so she made sure to put on her favorite black and purple dress so he could see her sport around in something fashionable. The top part of the dress was styled like a corset since it tied in the front with lace and the skirt reached to about her knees. Her ensemble was a mix of elegance and cuteness and Rika hoped Adachi found her style to his liking.

She reached the detective agency about thirty minutes later and the parking lot was completely empty, save for Adachi's car. He was right—no one else was here but him. The door to the agency was unlocked and Rika let herself in only to find that all the lights in the entire office were turned off. Adachi and his partner, Dojima-san, always had to work late so Rika was surprised to find that no one else was here working late as well.

There was a small room towards the end of the hallway that said "Detective Toru Adachi" and a bit of light peeked out from underneath it. Rika had been to the agency many times before when she was being questioned about Saki's murder, but she had never actually been inside of Adachi's personal office space before. She approached the door and gave it a quiet knock only to hear Adachi's chipper voice echo out from the other side of it.

"Come in, Rika! The door's unlocked! Sorry, I just gotta finish this up real quick…"

She opened the door and peaked her head inside only to see Adachi busily typing away at his computer. His eyes were focused on the screen, his brows curved forward as he tried to make sense of the information that flashed across his monitor. Rika shyly stepped inside and immediately wondered if this was a good time to come by after all. It was plain to see that Adachi hadn't slept in a few days since he had thick, dark circles under his eyes, empty coffee mugs were piling up, and papers were covering every inch of his wooden desk.

Rika took a seat across from his work desk, still holding the container of warm food in her hands, as she waited for him to finish typing up whatever he was working on. Five minutes ticked away slowly before Adachi finally looked up at her.

"Sorry about that," he said as he pushed his chair back and stood up only to stretch his arms way over his head. "Work has been so hectic lately! Everyone's already gone home for the night but Dojima had asked me to finish typing up this report for him so he could go see Nanako-chan for the first time this week and have dinner with her."

Rika frowned. "Must be tough having to work later than everyone else though."

"Not really," Adachi shrugged. "It's easier for me to get work done when no one else is here. It's nice and quiet at night because most people leave around eight o'clock." His eyes shifted from his computer desk over to Rika's lap where she cradled a large plastic container in her arms. He could smell the food from where he was standing and his mouth watered over its delicious scent. Right on cue, his stomach let out a loud growl to painfully remind him that he had skipped both breakfast and lunch that day.

Rika giggled over the monstrous sound that erupted from his stomach, and she wasted no time in removing the lid of the container and handing it to him. "Eat up! I made plenty! Anything you don't finish will still be good to eat tomorrow."

Adachi could have cried tears of joy over his new girlfriend's caring heart, and he showed his gratitude by placing the plate down on his desk so he could devour her lips instead. He kissed her roughly and firmly, his hands on her shoulders to steer her closer to his chest. This kiss caught Rika off guard, but she welcomed his lips nonetheless as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She missed the feeling of his embrace and being held by him was the most gratifying feeling in the entire world. His hand rubbed her back smoothly, and just as Rika was wishing the kiss would never have to come to an end, Adachi broke away to sit back down so he could help himself to the scrumptious dinner before him.

Rika was left standing there with a dazed expression on her face and a crimson blush on her cheeks. It was so typical of Adachi to always leave her wanting more. He was already splitting his chopsticks in two and digging in before Rika had a chance to even say anything. Instead she giggled at his childishness, relieved to see that he was finally getting some proper nutrition.

"I'm sorry you're always working so hard. I've missed you a lot these past two weeks, but I know you have a very important job to do. Would it still be possible for me to see you on your next day off?" Rika asked as she leaned against his desk.

With his mouth full of sweet, savory chicken, Adachi eagerly nodded his head and took another swig of his coffee to wash it down. "Of course! I actually have tomorrow off. Why don't we go see a movie together?"

"A movie would be lovely!" she responded happily. She was finally getting to spend some real time with her boyfriend! She had never really been on a date before and the thought of going to see a movie with him was enough to make her heart soar. She wanted to hold his hand, share a bag of popcorn with him, and lean her head on his shoulder like couples always did in _shoujo_ manga!

Adachi could tell he made her excited as he finished eating as much as his stomach could fit before he put the lid back on the container. Rika's cooking was something he could definitely get used to—she would make the perfect wife someday. His eyes wandered back over to where the petite young woman was standing and for the first time that night, he took a long, hard look at her. The dress she was wearing complimented her figure very well and it showed off her sexy, slender legs that he loved so much. She was wearing her hair differently than normal and he could tell she had even added a bit more makeup to give her more of a mature look. Although she looked pretty, Adachi preferred her with her hair a mess and wearing nothing but his oversized shirts. The image of her sprawled out on his bed completely nude crept into his mind as he stared at her, and a new hunger began to emerge within him.

"You must be tired of standing. Why don't you come over here?" Adachi asked playfully as he reached out to curl his fingers around her wrist. He tugged her towards him and positioned her so she was sitting on his lap. His arms wrapped around her tiny waist as he pulled her closer to him so he could rest his cheek against her back. She smelled so sweetly of strawberry shampoo and body wash, and Adachi wanted nothing more than to strip her down and taste every inch of her.

He could tell he was making her nervous because he could feel her heartbeat speeding up. He had invited her to the office for multiple reasons. The first one being that he knew there was no way she would say no to keeping him company. It had been awfully lonely in his office these past few nights and seeing Rika was enough to encourage him to keep working hard. The second reason was that he knew no one would be around to witness any _indecent_ behavior should he get in a frisky mood around his pretty little girlfriend.

And, of course, he was definitely starting to feel some friskiness stirring within his pants.

Adachi shifted some of the hair around her shoulder so the back of her neck was exposed to him. His lips found their way to the nape of her neck where he kissed her softly and delicately, eliciting a few shivers down her spine. "You look so pretty tonight, Rika," Adachi whispered, his hot breath tickling her neck. "Don't tell me you got all fancied up just to come visit little ole' me?"

He was clearly teasing her, but Rika didn't even attempt to try to hide her embarrassment as she nodded. "I thought you'd might like to see me in something other than a school uniform for once."

"The dress is cute. But I think I'd like to see it on the floor instead," the brunette chuckled as his hands landed on her upper thigh. He slid the skirt up with ease, exposing more of her ivory skin as his hands roamed across her silky, smooth legs. Rika gasped lightly at the feeling of his warm hands caressing her legs, and she quickly placed a hand on top of his wrist to stop him from lifting up her skirt any more.

"A-Adachi-san…We shouldn't do something like that here. What if someone sees us?" She squeaked out.

He outright snickered at her comment, rolling her eyes. "Oh, don't be such a scaredy cat! There isn't a single person here! We don't even have security guards patrolling this place at night. Just sit back and relax, mmkay? I want to show you how much I've missed you these past two weeks."

At this point, Rika's cheeks were as red as rose petals and her heart was drumming rapidly against her ribcage. With one hand massaging one of her upper thighs, his other hand was curled around her waist, cupping her breast. He squeezed the soft mound gently, causing his girlfriend to let out a surprised gasp. He always had fantasies about making love to a girl in his office, but to think he'd have ever gotten the opportunity to actually do so! He wasn't about to let this chance slip through his fingers. He was going to make sure he took advantage of every second he was blessed with.

Rika wasn't putting up much of a struggle as his lips kissed the back of her shoulder. He slid down the straps of her dress, tugging the top of part of it down until her bra was exposed. She was wearing a black lacy bra that had a cute bow tied in the front of it. Judging by her choice of fancy lingerie, he could only venture a guess that Rika had maybe been hoping for a little action in his office as well. Why else would she be wearing such a cute bra? The material was so thin that her could see her puckered nipples through its sheer fabric, and he grinned to himself over the fact she was getting all hot and bothered already.

He fiddled with the straps of her bra, tugging the garment underneath her breasts without fully removing it . With her dress pulled down to her waist, her luscious breasts were fully exposed. "Imagine how much trouble we would be in if someone were to walk in right now," Adachi whispered into her ear as he brought up both hands to massage her breasts. "They would see you squirming around on my lap completely topless. I mean, who's to say Dojima-san didn't change his mind about going home early? Think about it, Rika. The door is unlocked… Doesn't that turn you on even more?"

Rika could feel a sense of panic rise in her chest as Adachi pinched her nipples. She could tell Adachi was trying to make her nervous by toying with the idea that someone _, anyone_ , could walk in at any given moment and witness their inappropriate activities. While it scared her, there was no denying there was a certain kind of thrill to the idea of being seen like this. Adachi had both hands teasing each of her nipples, tugging and pulling them on to make them nice and perky, as her legs were spreading apart a little bit further while she continued to sit on the detective's lap.

"My, my, Rika," Adachi whispered as he flicked out his tongue to roll it across the nape of her neck. "You're making such erotic noises. Are you liking what I'm doing to you? Such a dirty girl you are."

She couldn't help the fact that her breathing had gone shallow and tiny moans were fleeing from her lips. He was teasing her so much and she was already beginning to grow moist in between her legs. One of Adachi's hands left its placement on her breast and began to hike up her dress along her thighs a bit more. His fingers brushed against her panties and he stroked the lacy material where her clit was aching to be touched underneath. He stroked her pearl through the panties and Rika's head jerked back as her moans grew a bit louder.

"Please don't tease me so much!" She begged, wishing he would go ahead and give her body the full attention it craved.

"Patience, my love," he breathed into her ear before nibbling on her earlobe. "I'm not going to leave you unsatisfied. I just want to take my time and enjoy this."

He rubbed her slit a bit more through her panties before he pushed the thin strip of fabric to the side so he could touch her clit directly. The feeling of his cold fingers against her moist center made Rika whimper with desire as she yearned for more of his touch. She had spent the past two weeks thinking of Adachi every waking moment. Not once had she been able to get that sexy smile of his out of her brain and her body had craved his warmth more than she was ever willing to admit to him. She had wanted to be with him so badly and now that he was finally there with his hands exploring every inch of her body, she couldn't seem to get enough of him.

One of his fingers slipped into her opening and Adachi grinned over how wet she was. Her juices were already drenching his fingers as he slid an extra finger in, penetrating into her deeper. "You're such a dirty slut, Rika. Just look at how wet you are," Adachi insulted her directly before he bit down on her shoulder, making her flinch. He continued to pump his fingers in and out of her, loving the way she was squirming around on his lap and grinding her ass against his hard boner. He had to use his other arm to keep her steady or else she was sure to fall over and ruin the moment.

As he was fingering her, an idea popped into his head. He pulled his hand out of her pussy, leaving Rika gasping for breath, as he pushed her up and off of his lap. "I want you to finish stripping for me, Rika. Slowly pull down your dress in front of me and then take off your socks and underwear."

Rika blushed, suddenly being put on the spot. He wanted her to strip in front of him? With her breasts already hanging over her bra and with her dress tugged halfway down her torso, she was already halfway there. Why didn't he just undress her himself? Either way, Rika didn't protest as she pushed her dress down further.

"Not too fast. I want you to _slowly_ take it off," Adachi smirked.

As embarrassing as it was, Rika did as she was commanded and slowly pulled her dress all the way down. She reached her arms around back to unhook her bra before sliding her arms out of the straps. She placed it neatly on the desk as she stepped out of her dress; only her black panties and black thigh-high stockings were still on. She could feel Adachi's heated gaze wandering over her slender form, and she tried to conceal her blush by looking down at the floor while she removed one of her stockings. Adachi's erection was pressing painfully against his pants but he somehow managed to maintain his composure as Rika rolled down her socks and exposed her velvety skin underneath. He liked that Rika was so compliant with his demands, but just how obedient was she? Were there any limits to her loyalty?

"Hang on a second, Rika. Don't take off your panties just yet," Adachi said as he pulled out his phone. He pushed a few buttons until the camera was pulled up, and he grinned as he pushed the "Record" button.

Immediately seeing what Adachi was doing, Rika swiftly covered up her chest with her arms and turned around so that her backside was facing him. "H-hey!" She squeaked out, shocked that Adachi would do such a thing. "Don't film me!"

"Why can't I?" Adachi asked, a sly grin creeping its way on his face. "It's not like I'm going to show anyone. I just want it for my own personal entertainment."

Rika was against the idea of Adachi trying to digitally preserve the memory of her nude body into his phone, but she wasn't sure what to do about the situation. "I'm…not so sure about this," Rika mumbled under her breath. What if one of his coworkers were to go through his phone? She had also seen just how careless he was over the fact he often lost his wallet. What if he had a bad habit of losing his phone, too, and someone were to catch a glimpse of the naughty videos he had stored on it?

"Take off your clothes, Rika," he said in a firm voice. The seriousness of his tone let her know that there was no room for negotiation. Adachi had never given her a strict command like that before and she silently wondered what had gotten into him. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was smiling sweetly at her, his expression gentle and loving. "You can trust me. I promise," he said in a much softer tone than before.

Slowly nodding, Rika turned back around and stared at the phone's camera that was pointed at her. Although she was embarrassed, she tucked a finger under the side of her underwear and slowly pulled it down her thighs. Adachi licked his lips in anticipation as he watched her wiggle out of her panties and scoot them to the side with her feet. She was now standing completely bare in front of him, a bashful expression on her face as she stared at the ground blushing. She thought maybe Adachi would have been done filming her but it looked like he was just getting started.

"Why don't you get down on all fours for me?" Adachi said as he stood up from his chair to unbuckle his pants with one hand. The other hand remained steady as he focused the camera on Rika as she did what she was told and got own on her hands and knees. The detective than pulled his pants down to his ankles, his boxers following, before he sat back down in his chair. His member was standing tall, fully hard, as Adachi beckoned Rika over with his hand. "Do you know what I want you to do to me, Rika?"

The timid girl stared at his bulging cock with uncertainty as she crawled towards him. She knew he wanted her to pleasure him in some way, but she wasn't sure what exactly he expected her to do. When she didn't respond to his question, Adachi reached forward with his free hand and placed it atop of her head, urging her face to come closer to his manhood.

"Suck me off, Rika. I want to cum in your mouth," he said in a deep, husky voice.

Rika's heart was racing at how deliciously erotic his voice has sounded and she was eager to do whatever she could to please him. However, the factor of the camera still bothered her. "Are you going to film me doing this?" she asked shyly.

Adachi nodded. "Pay no mind to the camera. I just want some footage to get off to in case I get busy with work again and have a hard time seeing you. I touched myself a lot to thoughts of you these past two weeks, but it wasn't quite enough. So will you do me this favor? Pretty please?" The pleading look in his eyes was enough to make Rika's heart melt, and even though it was clear he was manipulating her in doing such a dirty favor, she was more than happy to oblige.

"I'll do anything for you, Adachi," Rika answered.

He stroked the top of her head gently as if he were petting a small kitten. "That's a good girl," he said in a breathy voice, "but please call me Toru, okay?"

Rika didn't get a chance to say anything else as Adachi pushed her head towards his cock. Rika opened her mouth and accepted his rod into her mouth, allowing him to guide it towards the back of her throat as he pushed her more towards it. He made sure to keep the hand that was holding his phone steady so he wouldn't miss a single moment of the blowjob she was giving him. She was inexperienced in the oral sex department and wasn't quite sure how he wanted her to suck on him, but she slurped and sucked on him to the best of her ability until Adachi was unable to hold back his groans of approval.

Her tongue would occasionally roll across the tip, making Adachi twitch from the overwhelming sensation of her slick tongue. She even brought up a hand to pump along his shaft as she bobbed her head up and down his length. Having his adorable girlfriend give him head inside of his office was even better than anything he had ever imagined as his entire body tingled with ecstasy. He noticed she couldn't fit his entire cock into her mouth, but being the mischievous man he was, he wanted to make her at least try it. With his hand on the back of her head, he pushed his cock further into her throat until Rika was practically choking.

"Take it all in, baby," he commanded her, not allowing her to pull away as he shoved it farther into her throat.

Rika tried keep sucking on him, but it was hard when his tip kept being rubbed against the back of her throat. Adachi was rocking his hips, forcing her to take more of him until he could feel himself reaching his limit. " _Fuck_ ," Adachi cursed under his breath. "I'm about to cum."

Rika could do nothing as Adachi buried his fingers into her dark, silky hair. He fired his hot juices into her mouth seconds later, and Rika nearly choked as it shot down her throat.

"Drink it all down," Adachi ordered as he held her head in place. Rika was still sucking on him, making sure he drained him of every last drop, and Adachi thought he was going to quite literally lose his mind. He settled down after a moment, released his grip on her hair, and let out a loud, exasperated groan as he leaned back into his chair.

Judging by the way he was gasping for breath, Rika could tell she must have done a good job. She used the back of her hand to wipe away the remnants of cum that had dripped down her chin and Adachi made sure he caught her licking her lips on camera. As he struggled to catch his breath, he paused the recording and put his phone away. He had a feeling he'd be rubbing himself raw to that footage later. He was pleased that Rika had been so willing to do whatever he told her, and he realized he had her wrapped around his finger in every way. She was more than his girlfriend—she was his _pet_. Hopefully it would never come to it, but now he had something to blackmail her with should she ever turn on him. Nothing would ruin a young woman's bright future than having pornographic videos of herself floating around the internet. Rika hadn't done anything to warrant such a filthy punishment and he kind of hoped it would stay that way.

She was such an obedient lover. In fact, she had done so well that he was in the mood to reward her for allowing him to film her.

He stood up and scooted a few papers off his desk, not caring that they were now scattered across the floor, as he picked up his beautiful girlfriend and placed her on his desk. He parted her thighs just a bit until her pink flower was open to his view. "You've been such a good girl, Rika," Adachi purred. "As a treat, I'm going to make you feel _really_ good."

Rika gasped as Adachi leaned over until his face was positioned right in front of her moist center. He had always wanted to eat a girl out while he was at work and this was yet another fantasy that was going to come true. With her legs dangling over his shoulders, Adachi pressed his lips around her diamond shaped clit and began to offer it sweet, sensual kisses. Rika shivered as his hot tongue assaulted her pussy, and she held onto the corner of the desk for support as he licked and teased her relentlessly. His tongue swiped back and forth against her pearl and he could feel her muscles tensing already. As much as he would have loved to film the delightful expression on her face as he ravished her sweet slit with his tongue, he knew it would have been extremely difficult to hold his phone steady. He would just have to be satisfied preserving the memory of her sweet voice calling out his name in his mind as she came onto his tongue.

"Toru!" Rika cried out as her entire body shivered with spasms of pleasure. She was trembling as she climaxed, and Adachi didn't stop licking her sensitive clit until he was certain she couldn't take any more. He gave her center one more kiss as she stared down at him through half-lidded eyes.

Adachi smirked as he stood up. "Don't tell me you're already wiped out," he teased. "We're just getting started!"

Even though his pants had long since been discarded, he thought it was time to finally slip off his tie and unbutton his white shirt. Seeing as there was no need to be tidy, he tossed them to the floor before running a hand through his short hair. "You have no idea how much time I've spent thinking about you these past two weeks. I've really missed you," he admitted, making Rika smile in response. It was nice to know that she had been on his mind just as much as he had been on hers. She could only hope his work schedule would permit them to spend more evenings together and not drain all of Adachi's time and energy.

The brunette grabbed her thin wrists and pulled her off his desk so he could turn her around and face her ass towards him. His next goal was to bend her over his desk and fuck her until she couldn't walk for a week, but he knew he at least had to go slow and gentle at first. She was no longer a virgin (thanks to him) but she still wasn't fully used to having such a large rod insert into her. "Hold onto the desk," Adachi urged her as he positioned the tip of his cock against her heat. She was still soaking wet from her orgasm so at least the friction shouldn't hurt too badly this time, he figured. He thrust his hips against hers and sheathed himself into her from behind.

Rika cringed as he eased himself inside, thankful he was being at least a little bit gentle. Her fingers were gripping tightly to the corners of his wooden desk as Adachi held her hips firmly into place. He grinded into her slowly at first, allowing her to get used the penetration of his throbbing dick, but he then picked up the pace and buried himself into her a bit deeper.

"You're so tight, Rika," Adachi panted, feeling the constriction of her tight walls closing in on his member. "It feels fucking amazing."

Rika responded to his statement with nothing but gasps and moans as he pounded into her. The sounds of their bodies slamming against each other filled the room and the scent of sweat was thick. Adachi made a mental note to remind himself to open a window before they left or else everyone in the office was sure to discover something was up when they showed up at work the next day. And yet, nothing else really mattered to him at that moment except Rika. He gave her a rough smack on one of her ass cheeks to let her know who was dominating her at that moment, and Rika let out a delicious squeal of surprise as he spanked her again.

"You're such a bad girl, Rika," he chuckled, his cock thrusting in and out of her at a swift speed. "Just look at how distracted you make me when I'm busy at work! I outta' punish you for it."

Rika wasn't sure what he meant by "punish", but she found out rather quickly when Adachi stopped fucking her a moment to reach for his tie that had been thrown to the floor. He reached around and used his tie to blindfold her, tying it securely around her head. Confused as to why she was suddenly being blindfolded, Rika opened her mouth to say something but was immediately silenced as Adachi pressed his finger to her lips. "You know what happens to girls who are bad, don't you, Rika?"

She shook her head. Chuckling, Adachi left Rika to herself for a moment while he opened up one of the drawers to his desk. Inside was a pair of metal handcuffs that he had swiped from one of the officers. He always knew they'd come in handy someday but he never dreamed he'd get to actually use them like this. He cuffed Rika's wrists together behind her back, leaving her completely defenseless in front of him.

"Toru, what are you doing? Why are you handcuffing me?" It was a little bit scary to suddenly have her wrists bound by metal and her eyes completely covered.

"Punishing you, of course," Adachi answered with a snicker. Seconds later, he was shoving her against a nearby wall, pounding into her from behind again. Rika screamed as Adachi suddenly penetrated her from behind, and her adrenaline was kicking in full throttle. She couldn't see a thing but all of her senses were dramatically heightened as she felt him slide in and out of her soaking wet opening. His hands had reached around to cup each of her breasts tightly as he pushed her up against the wall with his body. The wall was cold against her stomach but with the metal cuffs around her wrists, there wasn't much she could do but let Adachi guide her every movement.

There was something oddly appealing about being blindfolded and restrained. She was completely helpless in every way and, in a strange sense, she almost envisioned herself as a prisoner to Adachi's darkest desires. He could quite literally do whatever he wanted to do and she couldn't do a single thing about it. That very notion turned her on more, and soon Rika was cumming from the sensation of Adachi's fingers pinching her nipples and from his hard cock slamming against her G-spot repeatedly.

"Toru! I'm coming!" she screamed, unable to control the volume of her voice as her walls clamped down on his member. Her whole body was set ablaze with pleasure, and Adachi slowed down his movements so that the sensation wouldn't be too intense for her to handle. He could feel the juices overflowing out of her from her orgasm, lubricating his cock even more, and he hesitantly pulled out to give her a moment to breathe. Rika's legs were now shaking, threatening to give out on her at any moment, and Adachi swiftly scooped her defenseless girlfriend into his arms. Cradling her like a small child, he carried her over to his chair and sat down her on his lap. He made no attempts to unhook the handcuffs that bound her nor remove the tie that shielded her eyes.

Instead, he positioned her on his lap so that she was straddling his waist. Rika was a petite girl and she was so light that it was easy to maneuver her around. With her thighs spread open, Rika flinched as she felt one of Adachi's fingers glide across her clitoris in attempts to get her stimulated enough to handle another round.

"Rika, your body seems to enjoy the naughty things I do to you. Do you like being tied up? Does it turn you on?" he asked, taking note that his horny little pet was already wet again, ready for more of what he had to offer her.

Rika shyly nodded. Although the metal was scraping against the delicate flesh of her wrists, the pain didn't bother her too much. She bit her lower lip, trembling lightly as Adachi's finger found its way to her opening where it probed inside her gently. Unbeknownst to Rika, Adachi's free hand was reaching to where his cell phone was resting on top. He silently picked it up, opened up the camera app, and propped it up against his monitor so it would record every move they made. With the way they were sitting, the camera was only able to record the backside of Rika as she straddled his waist, but Adachi figured that would be good enough.

With his hands on her hips, Adachi maneuvered Rika until she was sitting directly on his manhood. She let out a gasp as she no longer felt his fingers inside of her but the tip of his cock instead. She had no choice but to accept his intrusion as Adachi pushed her down on him, forcing her to take in every inch of him. "I can fuck you nice and deep in this position," he told her. "I bet you like that, you dirty whore."

She wasn't fond of his insults, but she figured that was just one of his kinks. He was definitely buried deep inside of her, and she felt his hands reach around to grasp both of her ass cheeks as he slid her up and down along his length. Rika was sweating and breathing heavily, already worn out from her previous orgasms, but Adachi was determined to keep going until she begged him to stop. The slickness of her tight channel made it easy for him to glide his cock in and out of her, but he wasn't expecting her to be cumming for him again already. Were all girls her age this easy to please? He knew she was already climaxing by the way she was biting her lower lip in such an erotic manner, and her thighs were quivering as she came while riding him. Adachi didn't have much room to talk since he found himself reaching his limit, too.

"Toru….I really can't take anymore," Rika whimpered out as her body convulsed with spasms of pleasure as she rode out the heights of her orgasm. "Can we please stop so I can catch a break?"

Adachi wasn't about to stop though. Not when he was so close to finishing! He rocked his hips against her even faster, drilling himself deeper into her, until Rika from wincing from the intensity of his thrusts. Adachi kept his eyes focused on Rika, watching the way her breasts and the way the muscles of her jaw tensed as she bit down on her lip harder. The fact that he had such a beautiful young woman completely at his mercy was enough for him to finally break and release his built up tension. He jetted inside of her core, filling her with his hot cum, and Rika screamed as she felt yet another orgasm threaten to overtake her. The feeling of Adachi's cum firing into her made Rika tremble with delight as she came in sync with her lover. The sound of Rika's voice as she cried out in ecstasy made Adachi grateful he had decided to film her after all. It was the kind of sound he could get used to—a scream that was reserved just for him.

The sadistic young man finally decided that it was time to put their exciting night to an end as he lifted Rika off of his lap. It was hard for her to stand and her legs felt like jello. Before he even considered unhooking her handcuffs, he made sure his phone was turned off and placed back in its previous spot on the desk so Rika wouldn't get suspicious. He first removed her blindfold so his lover could look up at him with those big sapphire eyes of hers before he finally dug the key out of the drawer of his desk to unlock the metal cuffs around her wrists. Her flesh was pink from where the metal kept scraping against her veins, but Rika hadn't complained about the pain at all. He had to commend her on her on her endurance.

The two stood in silence for a moment as Rika tried to catch her breath while leaning against his desk for support. She didn't realize it was humanly possible for someone to orgasm that many times in such a short time frame, but the way Adachi was smirking triumphantly at her let her know he was pretty damn pleased with himself over it. When they were having sex, it was like his entire demeanor changed. He was a totally different person. The usual passive, silly, easygoing Adachi was dominant, controlling, and even rather sadistic when it came to sex. She wondered what other sides of Adachi she would eventually get to see and part of her couldn't wait to unravel the mystery that was her boyfriend.

"I've never heard you scream like that before," Adachi teased, finally breaking the silence. He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead as he bent down to pick up Rika's bra, tossing it over to her. Rika quickly dressed herself, the embarrassment finally sinking in as she pulled her underwear back on her hips.

"Don't make fun of me," Rika whimpered, her cheeks a scarlet color. Her eyes fell on the phone that was sitting on his desk, a worried expression crossing over her features. "Toru, do you promise that you won't show anyone the video you took?"

With an innocent smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts, Adachi took her pinky finger in his and shook it. "It's a promise! It's for my eyes only!"

The two of them finished dressing themselves before Adachi took Rika home. There was no way he was going to let her walk back home by herself since the wind had started to pick up outside while rain drops began to hit the pavement. It looked like it was going to be another stormy night in Inaba and that suited Adachi just fine since that meant the Midnight Channel would appear on TV again. He kissed Rika goodnight and promised to pick her up in the morning bright and early so they could go on their romantic date as promised. Once he made sure she was safe and sound in her apartment, he retreated back to his own home as he eagerly awaited the mysterious television broadcast.

Adachi sat at the foot of his bed, his forehead wrinkling in concern as he watched the static fade away from the TV and expose a mysterious figure standing in a veil of thick fog. Out of all the people he had expected to see show up, the likeness of Rika Azura was the very last thing he had ever seen.

The figure didn't say a word. She simply gazed back at the viewers, her eyes a golden hue, as she wore an elegant black ball gown. Her lips were moving as if she were speaking, but not a sound came out. Seconds later, the image faded as static covered the screen.

There was no mistaking it. The person on the Midnight Channel was definitely Rika. _His_ Rika.

This changed everything.


	6. Chapter 6

Rika wasn't sure if today counted as a first date or not since they had already spent a lot of time together as a couple, but she still dressed for the occasion anyways.

A cute blue dress the color of the midnight sky, a black sweater, and her favorite pair of black, leather boots was the ensemble she had chosen to go with today, but not without adding a matching blue headband to pull her hair back. Rika had been too excited to sleep the night before and had spent all morning getting ready. The plan was to go see a movie, have lunch at his favorite sushi bar, and then spend the rest of the day shopping. If they had time, they would go to karaoke or even an arcade! Either way, Rika could hardly wait to build beautiful memories with him that she could hold onto forever.

Adachi had picked her up at her apartment so they could drive to the next city. Inaba was a small town so if they were seen together for a substantial amount of time, nosy people were bound to talk and spread rumors. They didn't want to deal with that so although it was inconvenient to drive an hour and a half away just to go on a date, the pair happily did so anyways.

Rika was her usual, cheerful self as she could hardly contain her excitement over getting to spend the whole day with her boyfriend in a new city. But Adachi, on the other hand, was a little bit quieter than usual. Because of Rika's soft-spoken personality, he was normally the one who initiated all conversation to help break her out of her shell a bit. Rika still got shy around him sometimes and although she didn't find it too difficult to open up to Adachi, she was used to him doing most of the talking. But today it seemed like he was rather distracted, like his mind was elsewhere. He kept his eyes focused on the road during their drive to the movie theatre, and Rika had to struggle to come up with conversation topics to keep the car ride from being awkwardly silent. Adachi was hard to read and she had no idea just what horrors were going through the detective's mind.

They had decided to watch a romantic comedy but even though the plot was simple and the punch lines were amusing, Adachi couldn't bring himself to fully pay attention to the film. His mind kept drifting back to what he had seen on the Midnight Channel the night before. There was no mistaking it—the woman on the screen was indeed Rika. Rika was more attractive than any other female in Inaba so there was no way the figure could have been anyone else but her—he could pick Rika out of a crowd from miles away if he had to. But why was she on the Midnight Channel in the first place? Adachi wasn't planning on murdering her or tossing her into the television so there was no reason as to why she would show up so suddenly. Was someone else planning to kidnap her? Was someone else planning to drag her to that horrific realm through the TV?

He couldn't take any chances. Until he was certain what was going on, Adachi vowed to stay beside her. He wasn't going to let anyone lay a hand on his princess; she was his and his alone. If someone wanted to touch her, they'd have to go through him first. But why would someone want to harm her in the first place?! Adachi couldn't escape the myriad of questions that assaulted his brain, distracting him from his date with his girlfriend. Everywhere they went he couldn't sit still and was a bit fidgety. He assumed that the suspect could be around anywhere, hiding in plain sight, and watching their every move. He had to remain on guard and be suspicious of everyone; one mistake and Rika could be swiped out from underneath his nose. He was so hell-bent on protecting her, from finding out who wanted to take her from him, that he couldn't focus on anything else. He wasn't going to let Rika out of his sight, and yet he didn't even realize that the movie was over until Rika shook his shoulder lightly.

"Toru, are you okay?" the young woman asked. The credits were rolling across the screen and Adachi suddenly snapped his brain awake. Not wanting to worry the raven-haired beauty beside him, he smiled at her and snuck a quick kiss on her cheek, reassuring her that he was fine but he was just a little bit sleepy.

Rika frowned, founding it hard to believe that Adachi was acting so spacey just because he was a little tired. She had seen the man nearly run himself to the ground with exhaustion from over-working but he had never been _this_ out of it. It was clear something was bothering him, but she wasn't sure what. And there wouldn't be anything she could do for him unless he opened up to her.

The two didn't say much as they ate lunch at a fancy sushi restaurant. Adachi's eyes kept shifting around, studying the faces of everyone in the restaurant, and no matter what Rika tried to do to bring his gaze back to her, he would eventually look away again. Rika tried her best to liven up the conversation and ask him about himself, such as his favorite movies or his favorite foods. He would answer her questions, but he didn't really ask her anything back. Wasn't getting to know your partner and having fun in the process the whole point of having dates anyways? Something was definitely off. He didn't have much of an appetite and only ate a few bites of sushi, and even when they went shopping, he wasn't really looking around for things to buy. He seemed to be more focused on the people around him, almost as if he were looking for someone.

It suddenly hit Rika that maybe he was looking out for people that he knew. If he happened to bump into one of his coworkers, it would be hard to explain why he was hanging out with a high schooler. That probably explained why he wasn't holding her hand or being affectionate or anything.

The sky began to turn gray later in the afternoon, and a low grumble of thunder in the distance warned them of an impending storm. If they didn't hurry up and go home soon, they might get caught in a thunder storm. The date ended shortly after they went shopping without them doing fun things like karaoke, and Rika was starting to wonder if maybe there was another reason Adachi was acting so distant. Maybe she had done something wrong and he was losing interest in spending time with her. Could she have possibly done something to make him mad last night? Was he irritated that she had dragged him on a date during one of his only off days? While they rode in the car back to Inaba, the soft hum of the radio murmuring in the background, Rika finally mustered up the courage to ask.

"Hey, Toru? Are you mad at me?" Rika asked, shifting her eyes over to him.

He didn't answer for a moment, making her panic from his silence. After a moment, he twitched in his seat before glancing at her.

"I'm sorry, Rika, but did you just say something?"

Wow, he really was distracted. Frowning, Rika repeated the question which quickly prompted him to shake his head.

"No, no, no! Not at all! I'm sorry, my love. I just have a lot on my mind right now. What do you say we go back to my place and call it a day? We can stop by your apartment on the way and grab you some clothes for the night." Adachi smiled as he turned his attention back to the road. Rika didn't mind going back to his place, but she immediately assumed that he only wanted her to come over so they could have sex again. She didn't mind having sex with him—it was very enjoyable for her, too, after all—but that didn't change the fact that their date hadn't been that great. Adachi had looked like he was acting on auto-pilot all day, completely absorbed in his thoughts, and she doubted sex would be any better. Maybe he just needed some sleep without her distracting him.

Rika leaned back in the car seat, sighing lightly. "As much as I'd like to stay at your place again, I think it'd be best if I went home. You look like you could use some rest and I think I'll just get in the way—"

"Absolutely not!" Adachi snapped, his voice suddenly growing deep as his hands gripped on tightly to the steering wheel. Rika flinched, shocked over his outburst. He was shocked by his own tone, too, and he abruptly apologized for his harshness. "I mean, uh, I just can't bare not having you by my side. I like waking up to your face every morning and it kills me to be apart from you. Won't you stay with me? We could watch some television or something and then fall asleep in each other's arms."

It wasn't a lie, of course, but it wasn't the full truth either. He didn't want Rika to go home simply because he couldn't keep an eye on her that way. He was determined to spend as much time as he could with her until he found out the reasoning behind her appearance on the Midnight Channel, and he planned on watching over her until he had answers. He knew he couldn't monitor her 24/7, but he wasn't about to let her be at her apartment alone at night. He could drop her off at school and pick her up in the afternoons, and if she ever went to work, he could hang out at Junes until she got off. If he had to take off work to patrol the school grounds during the day, he would do so. He was willing to do anything if it meant ensuring Rika's safety.

Deciding to just agree with him, Rika accepted his proposal for her to stay the night. When they arrived back at her place, she packed a small suitcase but Adachi insisted she pack for a few more nights. She didn't question him and simply packed enough clothes to last her the week.

When they returned back to his place, Adachi started to act a little more like himself. He was a bit more talkative, a tiny bit perkier, and he even cooked her dinner. He nearly burnt the rice, but Rika managed to save it in the nick of time by lowering the heat on the stove and taking over from there. They enjoyed their meal, watched a little television, and then took a shower together.

Adachi had to admit that being at home made him feel at least a _little_ bit better. With his front door and windows locked, he didn't feel the need to be constantly looking over his shoulder, stricken with paranoia. No one would be able to bother Rika here so he was finally able to relax just a bit as he and his lovely girlfriend took a hot, steamy shower together. They both stepped into the tub, hot water cascading down their bare flesh, as they reveled in the warmth of the shower. Adachi couldn't stop looking at Rika as she lathered shampoo into her velvet hair, admiring every curve of her form, but he couldn't seem to be completely at ease in the bathroom. Even though he knew they were safe in his apartment, he felt so utterly vulnerable. If someone were to try to break in, he and Rika were like sitting ducks. He had a spare gun in the dresser of his bedroom, but there wasn't much he could defend himself with in the shower other than a half empty bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap. As much as he would have loved to kill time by making sweet love to Rika in the shower, he just couldn't shake the negative feeling that something bad might happen if he let his guard down. So with a sigh, he finished showering in a rush, grabbed his towel, and slipped into a pair of comfortable clothes.

Rika thought for sure Adachi would have wanted to have sex, but he made it clear he wasn't interested in doing so that night. She tried not to let it offend her, but a few intrusive thoughts popped into her head. What if he wasn't attracted to her anymore? What if he was already bored of her? What if he had been thinking of another woman all day? She tried not to let her thoughts overcome her sense of rationality as she dressed herself in her pajamas, but they still found a way to dampen her mood.

The clock on the wall indicated that it was past ten o'clock, and Rika yawned as she began to feel rather drowsy. "Are you ready for bed, Toru?" she asked her lover as she combed out the tangles of her wet hair with her brush.

He was sitting on the couch watching the blank television screen in his living room, completely and utterly still. He heard her question but it still took a few long seconds for him to register her words. Although it was suspicious for him to be focused on an empty screen, he continued to stare at it as if it were the most important thing in the world and didn't even bother to blink. "Nah, not really. But you should go onto bed. I'll be there in a little bit," he replied after a moment.

Rika sighed, disappointed that he wouldn't even join her in bed. But she didn't argue with him and simply left him be, retreating back to his bedroom. Adachi felt bad that he had been rather negligent that day, but he had other things on his mind. For example, the rain was in full effect by now. He could hear the limbs of the trees swaying in the wind outside of his window and the sound of the raindrops pelting against the concrete on his patio. All the conditions had been met—the Midnight Channel would be starting in two hours. Not wanting to miss a single thing, he was prepared to sit there quietly until the broadcast played.


	7. Chapter 7

Five minutes until midnight.

Adachi's palms were sweating as he kept anxiously fidgeting by rubbing his hands together over and over, finding it impossible to sit still. Just what would he see on tonight's broadcast? Even though his impatience was getting the better of him, he could at least feel reassured that nothing bad was going to happen tonight since Rika was safely tucked in his bed, sound asleep. Rika was under his protection and he wasn't about to let anyone get their grimy hands on his princess. He had a gun and was a member of the police force. If anyone _did_ dare to hurt her, he would make sure justice would be served. Whether that was a lifetime in prison or death by the hands of Adachi himself, he wasn't going to let anyone get away with coming near Rika. _His_ Rika.

Two minutes until midnight.

He had to steady his breathing as he focused on the empty TV screen. Thunder was rolling across the sky outside as the bright flashes of lightning illuminated the darkness of his quiet living room. He was terrified of what he might see on the channel, and he prayed that literally anyone else was going to show up other than Rika. He would be fine if Dojima showed up or even his own mother. Hell, he would have even preferred to see _himself_ show up on the channel than his precious girlfriend.

One minute until midnight.

He got off the couch and sat directly in front of his TV. Nothing would be able to tear his gaze from the screen. He vowed to not even blink during the entire show, lest he miss something very vital that could directly impact Rika.

It was finally midnight.

Static began to form along the screen, incoherent crackling noises emitting from the speakers. Adachi sucked in his breath as the static began to fade away, revealing the figure of a young woman standing in what appeared to be a fancy garden with a medieval castle standing ominously in the background. The woman had her back turned to the screen as the full moon shed light on the woman's stiff body. A few rose petals danced in the air around her as a heavy breeze picked up, tousling the woman's thick curls as she turned around to face the viewers.

"I'm nothing more than a shrinking violet," the young woman whispered, her voice bland and void of all emotion. She wore an elegant, velvet, purple dress that was full of black lace and ribbons. A matching bonnet was placed on the top of her head and her black boots clicked along the pavement of the concrete path surrounding the garden. She stepped closer to the screen, allowing the viewers to get a better view of her face.

"Rika," Adachi whispered breathlessly. Even with the heavy makeup and fancy attire, Adachi was able to recognize her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, the kind that would be found in antique shops but her expression was that of pain and sorrow.

The Rika impersonator spoke again as tears welled up in her ears. "I can't get close to anyone. Everyone pushes me around and exploits me, only choosing to associate with me for their own selfish gains. No one really cares about me. No one will ever save me from my loneliness; I'm nothing more than a shrinking violet that will wither away, unable to be valued for what I truly am."

Before Adachi could question the words that came out of the young woman's mouth, the look of sorrow quickly disappeared and morphed into something far more frightening than anything he had ever seen before. Her eyes, tinted with golden specks, glared menacingly at the screen as her ruby red lips curled back into a mocking, condescending smirk. She let out a creepy giggle, her shoulders trembling with her sudden outburst as she outright laughed at the camera. "But what do I care?! They're all nothing but disgusting worms that I'll crush underneath my boots! People are sick, twisted, and cruel—nasty little vermin! I'm not a weakling! I don't need anybody!"

Her voice was clearly distorted as dark shadows crossed over her features, and she continued to mock the camera as she crushed a beautiful red rose that was lying in her path. The petals crunched underneath her boots as the Rika impersonator continued to stare angrily at the screen. And with a voice full of darkness and venom, the young woman jabbed a finger at the direction of the viewers and lowered her head. "I'm going to make you suffer for toying with me. You will pay dearly for messing with my heart and my emotions! You will regret the day you ever tried to invade my heart, you filthy scumbag!" The woman snarled before dropping her hand to her side, a sinister snicker filling the stillness of the moonlit garden.

Moments later, the screen began to crackle and the picture started to disappear. The blurred image of the Rika impersonator stalking towards the screen was the last thing Adachi saw before his television flickered out.

In shock over the whole ordeal, Adachi continued to stare at the screen blankly, trying his best to make sense of what all he had just witnessed. Was that really Rika Azura that was on the screen? Were those really her inner thoughts? He gulped audibly, the back of his throat suddenly dry, as his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He tried to steady his breathing, but panic began to shake him to his very core as he jumped up to his feet and ran into the bedroom.

Sure enough, Rika— _his_ Rika—was still sleeping soundly. The ruckus from the television in the living room didn't affect her slumber at all as her chest heaved up and down with her peaceful breathing. Seeing her safe calmed the tension within Adachi, but only by a little bit. The fact that another version of her—her _Shadow_ —appeared on the Midnight Channel could only mean impending danger. Someone was after her; someone was going to throw her into the television world.

The only person he could think that would even dare to commit an atrocious act like that other than himself was Taro Namatame. Adachi had no one to blame but himself—he was the one who had put the idea into Taro's head after all by telling him that the only way to protect the victims that showed up on the Midnight Channel was to throw them into the TV world directly. Of course, it was all a lie. Adachi knew very well that anyone who was thrown into the TV world would be devoured by the monsters, the _Shadows_ , that dwelled within it. Whenever a heavy fog descended up Inaba, a body was supposed to show up. Needless to say, there were a few kinks in his plans since a few high schoolers decided to get involved and try to rescue those thrown into the other world.

But why was Rika showing up on the Midnight Channel? It wasn't as if he was planning on throwing her into the TV world to kill her. So whywas Taro—or whoever else that knew about the truth surrounding the Midnight Channel and mysterious murders in Inaba- planning on throwing her in the TV? Why was her shadow parading around the Midnight Channel when Adachi had never planned to hurt her from the start?!

Furious over the turn of events, his body trembled as his hands curled into fists at his side. Rika's life was in danger and it was all his fault. If he had never tried to hurt Mayumi Yamano or Saki Konishi, he would have never have meddled with the affairs of the TV world and put Rika at risk. _No_ , he told himself, shaking his head. _Mayumi and Saki deserved to die. I did the right thing. They were nothing but filthy bugs that needed to be squashed_. It was strange—he and Rika's Shadow seemed to have a few similarities on their views of others. Did that mean that the version of Rika he saw on the TV expressed her true, hidden desires? If that was the case then it also meant that Rika wanted to get revenge on someone who was toying with her heart. While he couldn't think of who the alternate version of Rika could have been talking about, he had a feeling things were bound to get ugly.

But he could worry about all of that later. He had more pressing issues to worry about.

He walked over to the dresser in his bedroom and quietly and carefully pulled out one of the drawers where his handgun was hiding inside. He picked it up to inspect it, making sure the safety lock was still in place, before he slid it into his pocket. Taro Namatame may not have been the one planning to throw Rika in the TV, but he was the only suspect he had. He needed to take Taro out before the young man stupidly attempted to kidnap her. He was a useful asset in the beginning when he kidnapped Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi and did all the dirty work for him, but now Taro was nothing but a nuisance that needed to be eliminated.

If protecting Rika meant taking Taro out, he had no problem in doing so. He fully intended to place the blame for the bizarre Inaba murders on Taro, but maybe it was time to pull the plug on the whole thing.

The young detective turned around to watch his lover as she remained snuggled up under the blankets once more, his gaze softening as he wished he could be cuddled up beside her without a single concern floating through his mind. Once Taro was taken care of, maybe Rika's alternate self would vanish and he wouldn't have anything to worry about anymore. He could try to start his life over, put all of this behind him, and maybe work towards making a life with Rika. Maybe they could even leave Inaba and go far, far away from here.

Just as soon as those delightful thoughts drifted into his mind, they immediately vanished as the TV of his bedroom flickered on. Loud, sparkling static from the television lit up the room and stirred the slumbering girl from her pleasant dreams. Confused as to why the TV suddenly turned on by itself, Adachi walked over to it and quickly reached out to turn it off. He didn't want Rika to wake up just as he was leaving to go hunt down Taro, but something strange was occurring. No matter how many times he pushed the power button of the television, the screen continued to dance with jumbled up images of black and white specks.

"What the hell?!" Adachi grumbled, reaching behind the screen to unplug it from the wall. Even after the plug was yanked out from the electrical socket, the TV continued to act as if it were turned on. In fact, the audio began to crank up even louder as Adachi began to pound his fist on the top of the screen, commanding it to stop with his mighty whacks.

After his fist collided with the appliance for the third time, the static flickered out. The screen was blank at first which prompted Adachi to think the whole fiasco was over. But soon the image of Rika's alternate self appeared ominously as she stood in a tunnel of pure darkness. The only thing that was illuminated was her golden eyes and malevolent grin that reeked of an unspoken desire to kill. She was humming a soft tune, one that was unrecognizable to Adachi, but it was enough to fully awaken the sleeping Rika as she bolted upright in bed.

"Rika! We need to get out of here!" Adachi said, abandoning his position near the television to dart towards Rika's side. "Something crazy is going on here. The TV is spazzing out and I think we need to leave." If there was one thing he had learned about meddling with the TV world was that the creatures inside that realm weren't ones to be taken lightly. He had seen what they had done to Mayumi and Saki, and even though he didn't think they could crawl out of the television, he wasn't about to take any chances.

Rika had to blink her sleepiness away, puzzled by Adachi's strange behavior. "There's something wrong with the TV?" she asked before glancing at the screen, her stomach roiling with discomfort as she saw a strange figure grinning creepily back at her. Her face and hair color was all too familiar since it was the same face that stared back at her every morning from the mirror, albeit her makeup was applied more heavily and her hair was significantly longer. "Wh-Who is that?" Rika asked, her lower lip quivering as she brought up her pillow to hug it tightly. "Is this some kind of weird prank?"

The girl was faintly humming a song that made Rika's blood run cold; a melody that only she would know.

Whenever Rika was bullied in school or mistreated by her peers, she would come up with songs in her head to distract her. The songs were always happy and jovial, and since music was always a quick way for Rika to lift her mood, she would sometimes retreat to the bathroom of her middle school to sing those songs aloud to herself. It was one of her coping mechanisms to deal with the suffering she endured from all the bullies, but after moving to Inaba, Rika didn't have the need to constantly come up with songs to brighten her mood. Her life in Inaba was peaceful and not a single person had attempted to pick on her, despite the fact that she was the "new girl".

So how did this strange girl on the television know the melody to a song only Rika herself knew?

"It doesn't matter who that is," Adachi told Rika as he curled his fingers around her arm, tugging her out of bed. "We have to go. _Now_."

The Midnight Channel wasn't known to stray from its patterns of simply showing a person on the channel at midnight on a rainy evening before clicking off. There was no way to record the Midnight Channel (Adachi had tried several times to no avail) and the broadcast would stop airing a minute after midnight, only to show up again on the next rainy night. There were never two showings of the unusual broadcasts so the fact the Rika impersonator was still showing up even after his TV was unplugged was nothing short of a dangerous omen. He needed to get Rika to a safe place far away from all television sets until this craziness died down. He yanked her arm and tried to drag her out of the bedroom, but the door unexpectedly slammed on its own, trapping the two of them inside.

"What's going on?!" Rika shrieked as Adachi stood in front of her, shielding her with his body as he backed her into a corner.

"Just stay back, Rika! I won't let her hurt you!" Adachi shouted, pulling out the gun from his pocket and aiming it at the screen. He figured they would be safe as long as they didn't go anywhere near the TV. Hell, maybe even computers weren't safe. He had a bat in the storage closet of his living room so he figured once the girl on the TV disappeared, he would take a bat to it and shatter the screen. The monsters in the television world were getting stronger but as long as they remained locked away in their world, there wasn't too much they could do to harm them…

…could they?

The electricity in his apartment began to go haywire as the lights in the bedroom that had been previously turned off were now flickering on and off, and Rika was trembling in fear behind Adachi.

"Damn, it's like my whole fucking apartment is possessed!" Adachi cursed, before grabbing Rika's wrist. "We have to get out of here! Far away from Inaba!"

Rika was thoroughly confused, but she completely trusted his judgement. Something paranormal was going on, something more terrifying than she had ever experienced, and she wanted to be anywhere else but here. Adachi turned around to kick down the door, but it was no use—they were completely locked in. He kicked it a few more times but the damn thing wouldn't budge no matter how much force he exerted.

"It's no use! I can't break it down!" Adachi panicked before glancing over his shoulder at the window near his bedside. He lived on the third floor and jumping out was clearly dangerous, but it didn't look like they had much of a choice. He dashed towards the window, trying to lift it up but it felt a lot heavier than usual. Adachi was used to opening his windows to let summer breezes in, but for some reason it was like his window was nailed shut. Things were a lot worse than he figured as he struggled to pry the window open. If they wanted to escape, he'd have to break the glass.

While Adachi was looking for a blunt object to shatter the glass window, Rika was staring at the television set. The girl on the screen was laughing maniacally, holding her sides to keep herself from tumbling over as tears streamed from her eyes. It was like she was bluntly mocking them and their apparent fear, but that was impossible! How could a girl on the TV see what was happening in Adachi's apartment?

He wasn't having a lot of luck finding anything heavy enough to break the window, but the laughing girl on the TV was getting on his last nerve. An idea popped into his head and he quickly reached for the small television sitting on his dresser and he scooped it up in his arms. It was heavy and bulky—the perfect thing to use to break a window! Not only that, maybe if he destroyed all the TV's in his apartment, this nightmare would be over. He chunked the television at the window, and thankfully the box crashed through the glass, causing shards to explode everywhere and scatter across the floor. The TV was smashed on the ground outside, demolishing the screen and everything inside. He peeked his head out the now destroyed window of his apartment, careful as not to slice his head open on the sharp edges that jutted out from the aperture. It didn't look like the TV was functioning at all, but it didn't mean that Adachi and Rika were safe in the apartment. He still had his other TV in the living room which meant they still had a distinct connection with the other world.

He used his arm to knock a lot of glass off the windowsill to keep Rika from cutting herself when she crawled out. He figured he could climb down the drain pipe first since it was right under his window, and then Rika could jump and he could catch her. He was confident he would catch her and with a little luck, both of them could get out of this mess virtually unscathed. He withdrew his head from the outside, his hair completely drenched as water dripped from his flattened hair. "Come on, Rika, we need to hurry—"

When he turned around to reach for her, his entire body froze. His eyes were open as wide as they could reach as his mouth fell open over the horrifying sight before him.

Standing behind Rika was a shadowy figure with long black, curly hair falling over her face. She would have been the exact same height as Rika, except she was wearing heels. A low chuckle reverberated from the back of the stranger's throat and Adachi knew just who it was that had snuck up behind her.

"RIKA! LOOK OUT!"

Before Adachi could reach her, the woman latched her arm around Rika's neck, pulling her towards her chest as she jumped backwards. The door of the bedroom that had once been sealed shut flew open as the woman practically glided across the floor, floating a few centimeters above it.

Rika, seeing that she was being dragged off, flailed her arms into the air and struggled to break herself free from the intruder's grasp. This only served to have her neck strangled even more as she began to kick her feet and scream for Adachi to help her with muffled cries of despair. "Adachi! H-H…Help!" The woman's arm was just wound too tightly around her neck, but Adachi sprang into action by leaping forward. He tried to pry the woman away from his lover, but she held up her hand and blasted him with what felt like an invisible punch.

Adachi never saw anything collide with his body, but a surge of pain shot through his stomach as he was flown back and thrown against the wall. His ribs felt like they had just suffered a powerful blow and a slight crunching sound was even heard as he slumped down to the floor. His handgun had been knocked to the ground a few feet away, out of reach.

"I told you I was going to make you suffer!" the evil doppelganger warned, her mocking grin fading into that of an angry scowl. "You should have never toyed with my heart! I will make you pay! Just you wait…"

Rika continued to kick and scream, trying her best to free herself but to no avail. She was being pulled towards the center of the living room, and all she could do was reach her hand out to Adachi and beg him for help. Adachi, however, was struggling as hard as he could just to get back on his feet. His hands were clutching onto his stomach as he wheezed in pain. "Let her go!" He demanded in a gravelly voice, shooting the woman a glare that could have melted a glacier.

"You want her back?" the other Rika teased, continuing to hold her victim tightly in her arms. "Then come and get her!" She then turned to face the TV of his living room, and with one leap towards the large screen, she, along with the real Rika, was sucked into a vortex. Adachi could hear Rika's screams fill the room before they slowly faded away as if she was being pulled down into a large hole.

Rushing after them, Adachi tried to shove his arm through the screen in one final attempt to rescue his lover from the evil clutches of her Shadow. However, his wrist collided with the solid screen and, unlike how the two women were able to easily slip through the barrier, he remained in place. "RIKA! Rika! Wait! BRING HER BACK!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He kept both palms planted on the screen, willing himself to descend into the other world, but he showed no signs of being able to travel after them into the TV world. He banged on the screen, calling out Rika's name over and over, but nothing happened.

"N-no!" Adachi panicked, his breath hitching in the back of his throat. "This can't be happening! No! Rika!" No matter how hard he hit the screen, he just couldn't find a way through it. That is until his fist pummeled right through the glass screen. Blood sullied his fist as the shards of glass buried into his flesh, and he cringed from more than just the pain. He had let Rika down; he had let someone kidnap her. And not just anyone, either.

A _monster_ had gotten ahold of her.

Tears brimmed up in his eyes as he stared at the broken TV before him. Drops of blood fell to the carpet, but he couldn't have cared less. Rika was gone and there was nothing he could do. If he couldn't get into the TV world, then there was no way he would be able to get to Rika in time. He was so powerless against that Shadow and now Rika was going to die. Rika was going to die and it was all his fault!

His knees gave out as he crumbled to the floor, weeping angrily over his carelessness. "Rika…Come back…Please…"

Rika's entire body was enshrouded in darkness as she was pulled through the portal of the television. The darkness, however, soon faded as Rika felt the woman's tight grasp loosen around her neck. Rika was then shoved forward, forcing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Her knees landed roughly on the concrete beneath her, scraping her skin up just a bit, as the frightened young girl tore open her eyes to get a good look at her surroundings.

She gasped as she realized she was in a mysterious garden. The moon hung overhead, casting a soft glow on the marble fountain that was overflowing with crystal clear water. Statues of all kind decorated the courtyard, ranging from angelic cherubs to demonic looking gargoyles that guarded the iron gate entrance at the front of the garden. Rows and rows of flowers were neatly arranged along the path, and their sweet fragrance tickled Rika's nostrils.

Too shocked to even stand up, Rika continued to sit on her knees as she scanned the area for any signs of her boyfriend. "Toru? Toru, where are you?!" she called out, her voice cracking on each syllable as her body trembled with uncertainty and fear.

This was nothing but a nightmare right? This _had_ to be a nightmare!

She pinched her cheeks, trying to force herself to wake up, but the pain of her scraped up knees should have been proof enough that she wasn't dreaming.

" _Toru_ isn't here."

A spiteful voice from behind her made Rika whip her head around to see a woman towering over her, a dangerous glint in her golden eyes. "You're the girl that was on TV earlier," Rika declared, lowering her gaze at her. "What do you want from me?! Why do you look like me?!"

Her twin simply cackled maliciously as she flipped her long, ebony hair over her shoulder. She didn't bother answering her questions and instead chose to look down at her with a condescending smirk.

"I asked you a question," Rika growled as she pushed herself off the ground. "Answer me at once!"

"You can drop the courageous façade you're putting up. You always try to act so calm and mature in every situation, even when you're scared shitless," the Shadow said, taking a cautionary step towards her counterpart. "Admit it. You're terrified. You know just how weak and pathetic you are, and that no one is going to rescue you from the hell I dragged you into."

Rika took a step back as the other girl approached her, her heart racing a thousand miles per second. It was true—she had been putting up a front when she asked her twin those questions, but in her experience, if one were to pretend to be unafraid of someone, then the attacker or bully would sometimes back down. It was one of her techniques whenever faced with a violent bully back in middle school. It didn't always prevent her from being picked on or beaten up, but it gave them less satisfaction to see her stand her ground than if she broke down and started crying. She always tried to save her tears for when she was alone.

"Just admit it, Rika," the girl continued, his lips forming a neutral line on her face as she placed both hands on her hips. "You're nothing but a shrinking violet. A scared, lonely, and insecure little child who always lets people push her around. You can pretend to be tough, but at the end of the day, you're nothing but a weakling."

Rika glanced around her immediate surroundings, searching for anything she could use to defend herself, but there was nothing but flowers near her. What good would a rose be against an assailant?! "Who are you? Please, just tell me why you look like me. And tell me where this place is!"

Fear swirled around in Rika's eyes, and the Shadow could feel every beat of her heart that pounded in her chest, every anxious drop of sweat that formed along her forehead, and every nervous gulp she swallowed down. She thrived off her counterpart's fear as she continued to stare her down with feral intensity in her gaze.

"You'll see, dearest Rika. The fun's barely begun."


	8. Chapter 8

"Make it stop already," Rika whispered to herself. "Please just make it stop…"

She couldn't get away from her Shadow no matter how much she ran. The moonlit garden was an endless maze of flowers and winding paths that lead to nowhere but dead ends. Even the front gate was completely locked and no matter how much Rika tried to break the padlock or climb over the top, nothing seemed to work. She was like a tiny mouse trapped in a cage with no one but her inner self there to provide her with torturous company. With nowhere else to run, Rika had sought refuge in the tall, gothic castle that loomed behind the garden. The door to the castle had been unlocked so Rika had no problem with running inside. Despite being a dark and creepy cathedral, there was nothing of interest inside. All of the rooms were empty and lacked even the basic necessities of a home like furniture or decorations. The walls were made of concrete, the floor was just an empty stretch of frayed red carpet, and the only light sources came from small torches on the wall that never seemed to burn out.

Although the castle and garden were indeed mysterious, Rika was more confounded by the realm in general. She had been trapped inside of that world for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it was probably just a few days. Even so, shouldn't she have been starving to death in that world? She hadn't eaten or drank anything in days, and yet her body wasn't suffering in the least. It was as if this world existed outside of time itself and the laws of the human world didn't apply.

That still didn't mean she was safe, though.

Each day, Rika had been running until the soles of her feet were rubbed raw and her legs felt as heavy as rocks. No matter which hallway she bolted down, she could still hear the wicked laughter of her evil twin following her everywhere she went. Rika would hide in the many rooms the castle offered, cowering in the corner, but her Shadow always found her eventually. The Shadow never got bored of chasing Rika down, amused by their little game of "Hide and Seek" while Rika kept running and hiding as if her life depended on it. She knew it was only a matter of time before her Shadow decided to kill her; something in the way her doppelganger's eyes twinkled with anticipation let Rika know she was waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Until she decided to kill Rika, she would continue taunting her and tormenting her with dark, nasty thoughts.

Was there any end to this tyranny? Or would Rika have to endure this suffering until her Shadow decided to kill her?

"Someone please," Rika whimpered as she curled up into a ball, her back pressed against one of the cold, concrete walls of a small room. She missed Adachi more than ever, and she wondered if he knew more about her situation than he was letting on. He had been so desperate to get Rika out of the apartment before she was kidnapped, almost as if he knew something bad was about to happen and he was trying to prevent it. She could only hope that he was back in the real world, trying his best to find a way to save Rika from this never-ending nightmare.

Rika embraced herself tightly, trying to provide a little comfort against the bitter cold of the desolate castle. She was wearing her black nightgown and the silky fabric was too thin to help her against the chilliness. The first thing she vowed to do when she got back to the real world was to hug Adachi and never leave his side again. She missed his lopsided grin, the smell of his clothes whenever she wore his shirts to bed, the taste of his overly cooked meals, the sound of his hearty laughter…

"Please save me, Adachi…" she wept softly, trying her best to muffle the sounds of her sobs. It was only a matter of time before her Shadow found her again, and Rika wanted to relish the peace for as long as she could and let her thoughts of Adachi reassure her that he was on his way to save her and that everything would eventually be all right.

Eventually.

It was hopeless. Everything was hopeless.

Days had passed and Adachi had no idea just how many televisions he had broken trying to get to the other side. He tried shoving his fist into TV after TV, struggling to find a way to get himself through the barrier so he could rescue his lover in the other world, but nothing seemed to work. He had never had any problems putting his hand or arm through before, and tossing both Mayumi and Saki into the sets was as easy as shoving them through a real window. It was like there was some kind of invisible force keeping him from going through, preventing him from progressing into the other world. He ended up purchasing seven different televisions which took up a lovely chunk of his paycheck, but all of his efforts (and spending) went to waste. Desperate to find another way, he had even broken into Junes late the previous night and tried to enter into the TV's from there, but after a few broken screens and failure after failure, he had eventually decided to give up.

There was no way for him to rescue Rika. She was gone.

There was no point in anything anymore. He had taken the past few days off of work and he had no plans of going back until Rika was safe and sound in his arms. He told Dojima-san that he had pneumonia, and since Adachi hardly ever got sick, Dojima trusted him and told him to focus on getting better.

He hadn't ate anything in days and the very thought of eating made him gag. No matter how much he tossed and turned in bed, he just couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep without Rika in his arms. Nothing felt right with her gone. Guilt washed over him whenever he did catch a wink or two of sleep since he knew Rika was out there somewhere, terrified for her life, as he got lay in his bed and safe and snuggly. It just wasn't fair. Why couldn't the Shadow have taken _him_ instead?

A bit of stubble hard formed along his angular chin and the circles under his eyes only got darker with each passing day. There hadn't been any sign of Rika, dead or alive, and the forecast had been clear so it wasn't as if he could check to see what was happening in the other world on the Midnight Channel either. He hated that the stupid channel only appeared on rainy nights since that was his only window to the foreign realm. There wasn't any news about another dead body mysteriously showing up in Inaba though, so Adachi could only assume that she was still alive in that world.

But who knows how long it would be until he saw her hanging upside down from an antenna?

There was nothing worse than waiting around for something to happen, especially when it involved the one you loved most.

He stared lifelessly at the wall of his living room as the wheels in his mind began to turn. Surely he wasn't the only one who had seen Rika's shadow on the Midnight Channel; there could have been others who witnessed it. And just because something was keeping _him_ from entering into the television world didn't necessarily mean that _no one_ could travel into that world. He knew that Dojima's nephew, Yu Narukami, and his friends had been meddling with the affairs of the police investigation, but he didn't have any concrete proof they were behind the rescues of Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi. What if they knew that Rika had been kidnapped and taken to the other realm? Surely they would spring into action and try to rescue another one of their classmates. If that was the case then they should have rescued her by now. They better not be sitting around on their asses while Rika was starving to death in a different world, waiting for someone to rescue her!

For the first time in days, he hopped off his couch with a movement that wasn't anywhere near sluggish. He shoved his feet into his shoes, threw his jacket on his back, and rushed out the door in seconds, not even bothering to check his appearance in the mirror before he left. Narukami and his friends were often seen chatting away at Junes, and he knew the gang had an uncanny interest in the investigation of the murders. If they did know something about the Midnight Channel, then he wanted to make sure they were well on their way to trying to figure out how to rescue Rika.

To think he'd have to depend on kids—the same kids who kept trying to get involved his schemes—to help rescue his girlfriend! But for the sake of Rika, his one and only treasure, he would make sure that they were working towards saving her because it didn't look like he had the power to do so himself. Hell, he'd even offer up the teenagers a huge sum of money if it meant bringing her back to him. He was definitely not beneath bribery, but he certainly didn't want to give himself away either. Although this was a matter of life and death, Adachi didn't want to clue anyone in on his schemes. He felt useless enough as it was considering he was stranded in this world, but if he was locked away in prison for executing Mayumi and Saki, then he'd be even more worthless.

He had to somehow talk to Narukami and his friends, maybe using his job as a detective to his advantage, and somehow figure out if they knew Rika was in the other world or not. If they didn't, he'd have to find a way to clue them in so they could stop pissing around and start taking action. They were the only ones, as far as he knew, that had some kind of insight on the television world. That would be the only explanation as to why Yukiko and Kanji made it out of that world alive. Maybe they could communicate with the monsters of that world or maybe they even knew of a way to fight them. Either way, they were his only hope. It's not like the police were doing anything. Realistically speaking, there was nothing they _could_ do against otherworldly creatures from a parallel world.

His lack of eating these past few days had made driving very hazardous since he kept getting dizzy and swerved into the other lane more than once. Even so, he made it to Junes in one piece and staggered towards the food court. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and the students were already done with school for the day. It would only be a matter of time before they made their way to their usual hangout spot.

Adachi sat at a table nearby, concealing his face by burying his nose into a newspaper that he found lying on the floor by his chair. He got a few suspicious glances sent his way by Junes shoppers, but he could hardly blame them. He looked like a mess with his unruly hair, wrinkled clothes, and sunken in cheeks. On the bright side, maybe no one would recognize him and just dismiss him as a trashy looking alcoholic who had been kicked out of his wife's home or something along the lines of a homeless wanderer.

He continued to sit and wait for the teenagers to come to Junes, and sure enough the gang showed up only twenty minutes later. It looked like they had another addition to their little circle of friends as well-a strange looking fox with a red bandana around its neck. Well, that was certainly bizarre. That Hanamura kid must've gotten away with a lot since his folks practically ran Junes, but bringing a fox to the food court seemed a little excessive. Either way, Adachi lowered his paper just a bit so he could gauze the expressions on each of the kids' faces.

They all looked pretty concerned over something and the atmosphere around them felt tense. He couldn't hear a word they were saying, but they looked pretty focused on a particular topic. He highly doubted they were gossiping about their classmates or talking about a difficult class assignment; their solemn faces told him that something far more serious was weighing heavily on their minds. _Damn_ , if only he was close enough to hear them! He tried to read their lips, but his eyes were just way too tired for him to focus exclusively on their yacking mouths. All he could make out was Yu Narukami saying something along the lines of "Let's go" before the group all stood up from the table. They all made their way into the electronics store, and Adachi decided to follow them.

He slid out of his chair and noiselessly tiptoed behind them at a safe distance, careful as to not draw their attention. Foxes had a keen sense of hearing so he had a feeling the animal would be able to detect even the quietest of noises which would give away his position. Not wanting to follow them too closely, he crept behind the rows and rows of appliances, occasionally peeking over the shelves to see where they were headed to. He pretended to look at a particular laptop two rows away from them to look less conspicuous as he tried to focus his hearing on their conversation.

"Someone broke into the store last night and shattered some of the TV's," Yosuke said to his friends. "It looks like we only have one or two we can work with today."

What an unusual thing to say. One of the girls responded to his statement, but her voice was so soft that he couldn't hear her from where he currently stood. Eager to hear more, he moved to one aisle over from them with slow and careful steps. There didn't seem to be anyone else around, so as long as he didn't give himself away, he could easily eavesdrop on their conversation from this distance.

"But if we enter into a different set, then we might end up somewhere far away from Teddie," Chie replied.

He heard her loud and clear. Either she said something about entering into a TV set, or he was going crazy. Considering he was already crazy, Adachi could only assume his ears had worked properly that time.

"It could be dangerous, but we have to find her no matter what the cost," Narukami stated. "It's going to rain this weekend. We only have a few days until the dog settles in. After that, the shadows are bound to hurt Rika. We can't wait around. We need to act fast, even if we do end up somewhere different than usual."

"It's settled then," Yosuke said. "Let's get going."

Adachi had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping. So he was right—those kids definitely knew that Rika was in danger. Just as he turned the corner to confront the teenagers and demand they take him with them to get Rika, he saw that they were no longer standing in front of the television section. All of them, even the little fox, had completely vanished. He glanced around his surroundings to see if maybe he had just missed the sound of their footsteps leaving, but it looked like only he and three other customers were still inside the store at this time.

He grinned to himself as he placed a hand over his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart underneath his palm. For the first time in his life, he was actually grateful those little bats were meddling with his ultimate plans.

"Don't worry, Rika," he said to himself, finally able to breathe for the first time in days. "Help is on its way."


	9. Chapter 9

She was so very tired of running. She was tired of living in fear.

From day in and day out, Rika had done nothing but try to escape her doppelganger, but no matter how far she ran, she just couldn't get away. Her Shadow kept following her, tormenting her with tragic memories and hurtful words, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She couldn't hide, she couldn't tune her out, and she couldn't pretend those dark thoughts weren't there. She knew she had to face that terrifying darkness within her, but it was just far too frightening, too daunting, for her to do alone.

But thankfully, she didn't have to.

While she was running and trying to hide, some of her classmates had showed up in the garden. At first, she thought her eyes had been playing tricks on her. After all, she hadn't eaten, slept, or even stopped running for nearly a week. Her body was practically moving on auto-pilot by this point, and it was a miracle she wasn't dead. Time flowed differently in this world, and sometimes minutes felt like an eternity while hours felt like mere seconds. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised if she was hallucinating since the thought of anyone being able to freely waltz into her own personal nightmare in hopes of rescuing her seemed so outlandish and impossible. But when they called out to her and tried to get through the gates of the garden, she knew they were real. She knew her friends had come to save her!

"Hold on, Rika!" Chie shouted as she curled her fingers around the iron bars preventing her access from inside.

"We won't let her hurt you!" Yosuke cried out. He pulled out two daggers from the pocket of his school uniform, ready to summon his Persona at any moment.

"Whatever you do," Narukami called out, "just don't deny your Shadow! It will only make matters worse! She represents your inner thoughts and feelings! Fighting against those feelings will only make her stronger!"

Her friends were so close and yet so far. Rika could have easily run up to the gate where they stood on the other side, but her alternate self blocked the path. She stared down at Rika with her glowing yellow eyes, and her sneaky smile sent cold shivers down Rika's spine. She wished she could be on the other side of that gate, to reunite with the group that had faced the odds and came to save her, but she knew there was no way her Shadow was going to let her.

A surge of determination ignited the flames of Rika's heart, and she set aside her fears to speak to her inner self. "Let me through!" Rika demanded as she squared her shoulders and challenged her twin head-on. She couldn't run anymore; the heaviness of her legs just wouldn't allow it. But now that her friends were here, now that they had come to rescue her, she needed to stand strong and help them destroy her evil self. She just couldn't do it alone!

"Let them through? Now why would I ever want to do that?" The Shadow laughed, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you actually consider them your friends. If they were your friends, you'd tell them all your secrets, right? Not only that, you'd actually try to spend some time to get to know them. But deep down, you know they don't care about you so you don't bother. You'd rather cry in a corner and feel sorry for yourself!"

Shaking her head, the real Rika balled her hands into fists at her sides and stomped angrily on the ground. "Th-That's not true!"

"Bullshit!" The nasty girl spat, a grimace on her face. "They're nothing but worms! You don't need them! Who needs friends?! The only reason they talk to you is because they want something from you! Don't kid yourself! Who would _ever_ like a person like you?!"

Rika brought her hands up to her ears and her legs trembled beneath her. She tried to block out the girl's harsh words, but they still seeped into her soul, corrupting her thoughts. Deep down, Rika knew she didn't really have anyone she could depend on but herself. All of the people from her past, all of the "friends" she had at her old high school and middle school, always treated her like she was dirt at the bottom of their shoes. They only kept her around when it was convenient, and of course, none of them helped her out when she was being bullied so badly.

"It's okay, Rika! She's just telling you the thoughts you have buried down inside of you!" Yukiko tried to divert Rika's attention away from her Shadow, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. "Don't fight it! Just accept that those thoughts are a part of you and she won't be able to hurt you!"

"We all went through the same thing. Hell, even me! Everyone's got bad shit in their minds and it's okay!" Kanji joined in, trying to offer her as much support as he could from the sidelines.

All of her friends' voices felt incredibly distant despite the fact they were only standing a few feet away from her. She wished the gate would magically open so they could rush in and save her, but she knew her Shadow was purposely keeping them away. "Just…make it stop!" Rika begged.

"Just admit it, Rika," her Shadow told her. "You hate people. You hate _everyone_. All people do is lie, cheat, and use others for their own benefit. You'd much rather be alone! And don't even try to deny the fact that you used to wish everyone at your old school would disappear and _die_ for all the pain they caused you."

"Please…stop…" Rika whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

"Remember the time your best friend Marie pushed you down the stairs because her boyfriend thought you were pretty? Or what about the time Alex cut off locks of your hair in the middle of class so you would have an awkward hair cut for the school photos? And what about the time Jason took photos of you changing in the girl's locker room and threatened to show everyone if you didn't kiss him behind the school one afternoon? Of course we can't forget about the group of girls that locked you in the storage room one afternoon in the gym because they thought it would be funny. You were stuck in there overnight and didn't come out until the school janitor found you crying. They threatened to beat you up if you told anyone so you had to lie and say you locked yourself in there on accident so they wouldn't get in trouble." Bringing up all of those painful memories had Rika's eyes overflowing with tears. She had locked away so many of those memories in the deepest, darkest corners of her heart, too afraid to let herself remember them. Her life at Inaba was the first time she didn't have classmates that picked on her, but everything her Shadow said was true—she _hated_ people.

"Just give up, Rika," her Shadow continued. "Your new friends aren't worth anything. In the end, they're going to hurt you just like everyone else. You're going to end up alone, but it's better than associating with disgusting vermin like them! Just stay here forever, far away from pieces of shit like them."

To get a rise out of Rika, the Shadow summoned various rose petals to emerge from all of the nearby bushes. A wind picked them up and carried them towards the gate where they swirled around and created a giant, threatening vortex of flying petals. Normally, a gust of flowers as beautiful as them would be harmless, but the Shadow had manipulated them into being as sharp as blade. One tiny cut from a single petal could slice open a human's skin, and Yosuke found that out the hard way when he tried to swat one of the petals away. It was sharper than a knife and ripped through the fabric of his sleeve. He jumped back, cringed in pain, and the group began to back up and away from the gate. The torrent of petals flew dangerously overhead, but none of them were attacking the teenagers just yet.

Rika saw that Yosuke was bleeding and she turned to her alternate self with pleading self. "Please! Don't hurt them! They haven't done anything wrong!"

"What do _you_ care? These _scumbags_ don't mean anything to you! You've never trusted them and you've always wished they would just stay out of your business!" The other Rika shouted back. If she so wished, she could easily fire down each of the sharp petals to come slicing down upon Rika's friends, but watching her squirm and beg for their lives was too entertaining for her to end it too quickly.

Rika could do nothing as the rose petals surrounded them from above, and she hated herself because she knew the Shadow was right. It was _true_. She was always worried that her new friends would eventually turn on her and spit in her face like all the others did. She was scared to walk down the stairs with Chie because she was worried she would get shoved in the same way Marie shoved her. She often declined Yukiko's offer to have lunch with her because she was worried she might dump it on her lap or try to ruin her uniform like another classmate had done. And she was terrified of Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji—she had witnessed firsthand just how dirty minded boys her own age could be. What if they tried to do something indecent to her when she was alone? What if they tried to blackmail or try to get her to do those disgusting things with them?

She didn't trust _any_ of her new friends. But most importantly, she didn't trust Adachi. Part of her knew he was just using her but it was a negative feeling she always tried to ignore. He was all she had so she kept clinging to him, afraid that he would abandon her when she grew too boring for him to want to waste any more time on.

"You're right…You're absolutely right," Rika whimpered, her arms dropping down to her sides as she hung her head in defeat. "People are terrible. They are cruel, selfish, sick, and twisted. I think that people only want to use and abuse me and that no one really cares about me. I'm tired of people treating me terribly and I _do_ still wish the people that hurt me in the past would pay for the terrible things they've done. But…is that really so bad to think that way?"

Her eyes shifted from the evil girl standing before her to the group of high schoolers that were staring at her expectantly from behind the bars. Even though Rika never trusted them, even though she found it difficult to fully open up to them, they had still come to save her. They were still here, desperately trying to reach her, so that the madness of this world could end once and for all. Her Shadow was revealing to them every nasty, vile thought that went through her head, and yet they were not condemning her for feeling so negatively towards them. Instead, they were still encouraging her.

"It's okay, Rika! I'm scared of trusting people, too!" Yosuke shouted.

"Trust takes forever to build! If you overcome the darkness, you can let us prove to you how much you mean to us overtime! Rome wasn't built in a day, but we'll let you take as much time as you need to let us in!" Chie interjected.

Rika couldn't help but smile as their voices felt a little louder this time. She had only known them for a short time, but there was no denying she had always wished she could become closer to them. If it wasn't for her fear of being hurt, Rika would have reached out to them even more by now. But even though she was afraid, it was okay, right? It's only normal to be afraid of being hurt or rejected after going through something traumatic like bullying. It was okay to feel those thoughts. Not only that, wasn't it normal for people to feel anxious during the beginning stages of their relationship and question their partners? Fears, doubts, anxieties—as terrible as they felt, it was only natural to experience them. Chie was right in the fact that trust takes a long time to build, but maybe it was time Rika jumped in headfirst and took a risk. After all, she was so happy she had met Adachi and gave him the opportunity to let him show her how great a relationship could be. Maybe it was time she took a chance with her new friends, too, and let them in.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all these negative feelings. I can't fight them…Even when I'm hanging out with everyone, smiling and laughing at your jokes, I still feel like I don't belong and that one day you are all going to abandon me or use me for your own selfish gains. But…it's normal to feel that way," Rika muttered as she staggered to her feet. "Everyone has something they're afraid of. As for me, I'm afraid of getting close to people because I can't help but think that all people are cruel and selfish. But you're all here…You're risking your lives to save me by coming to this world. You're here to show me that you _do_ care that I do matter to you!"

"Of course, Rika! So many people care about you! We want to get to know you more, but we won't be able to do that if we lose you in this world!" Yu reached his hand out through the gate, ushering Rika to come to their side. The Shadow was still blocking her path, but she was no longer wearing that evil grin. She wore a blank, neutral expression as she stared back at Rika like a still and lifeless doll.

Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji really did care about her. Not only that, but Adachi had also fought to keep Rika from getting sucked into this realm in the first place. He had struggled so hard trying to free Rika from her Shadow's grasp. If he didn't care about her, he would have just let her get kidnapped without putting up much of a fight. If he really and truly didn't care about Rika, then he wouldn't have cared that she was taken from him.

Wiping a few tears away, Rika rushed past her twin and sprang towards the gate where her friends were waiting for her. The second she reached out to grip the iron bars, they melted away and turned to dust at their feet. There were no longer walls dividing them and keeping them apart. Rika was no longer trapped in her cage, no longer stranded in the Moonlit Garden stage, as she finally let her friends in. Not only that, but the flower petals that were once as sharp as blades of glass were now soft and tender like they initially were. They fell from the sky like rain, brushing against the investigation team with their harmless touches, before they scattered across the ground by their feet.

Chie was the first hug her as she squeezed her neck tightly, but soon everyone else was following suit. Yu Narukami was the only one who was still on guard as he stared at the Shadow standing only a few feet away. "Is she not going to attack us?" he asked quietly, hands gripping tightly at the katana hanging from his belt.

"Come to think of it, so far everyone has denied their true thoughts and we always ended up fighting," Chie commented, releasing Rika from her tight hug as she stood in front of her, guarding her from the Shadow. The little brown fox beside her began to growl viciously, barking at the Shadow as the young woman stepped over to the group.

Rika, no longer fearing for her life, stepped forward and approached her other self. "I can't deny that the things you've said are true. You're just a personification of my inner thoughts, right? You've spawned from my negativity, feeding off the hatred I've had for myself and others. You were sent here to destroy me, because it in turn would mean that I destroyed myself with my own inner struggle."

The other Rika simply nodded in agreement, remaining cryptically quiet as Rika addressed her straight on.

"Fine. I accept that I have a lot of flaws. I accept that I have nasty, evil thoughts within me and that I hate the people that hurt me in the past. I admit that I'm terrified of others and I can't stand that I'm weak, a pushover, and that I always put up a stoic front," Rika stated, staring at her Shadow directly in her yellow orbs. "But that doesn't mean I can't mature. It may take time, but I _will_ learn to trust people. I will learn to stand up for myself and I will learn that not everyone in my life will use me for their own personal gains. And whenever I start to feel negative, whenever bad thoughts creep into my head and tell me I'm not worth anything, I'll accept them and work through them. I'm not a child! I have friends that love and support me and will help me out when I feel scared and alone!"

During her speech, the Shadow never moved. She just stared back unrelenting, her gaze as cold as ice, before she vanished into a million black and red particles that resembled the petals on a rose. They formed into a blue card that dangled in front of her with a photo of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon. Rika could feel a surge of power flowing through her as warmth radiated inside of her soul.

A deep voice resonated from within her heart as her fingers lightly touched the card that floated before her. _"I am thou… Thou art I… I, Kiyohime Yamata, will help channel your inner darkness and help it develop into strength."_

The card vanished into the air before a flurry of black and red particles seeped inside of Rika's chest. It was a marvelous feeling at first, and Rika felt like her whole body was floating high into the sky as her heart skipped several beats. But then suddenly that warmth left her and she felt like she was falling into a deep dark hole as her whole body shivered from immense cold. It was like had swallowed ten ice cubes at once and her throat felt numb and cold. Rika crouched down, and unbeknownst to her and her friends, her eyes flashed a yellowish color for a split second before fading back to their normal shade.

"Rika! Are you all right?!" Kanji cried out. She had tumbled forward, about to fall, but his strong arms caught her before she fell over.

"Something's not right," Yu whispered quietly. This was just way too easy. So far, the Shadows had _always_ attacked their group one way or another and they always had to summon their Persona's to fight. But Rika had accepted her Shadow's words and stood up for herself, something no one had done just yet. Although he was relieved they didn't have to fight, something just felt incredibly wrong about the whole ordeal. Rika was panting heavily as she leaned against Kanji's chest, and a bit of sweat was pooling around her forehead. "We need to get here out of here," he said. "Maybe even to a doctor…"

Rika shook her head and stopped leaning against Kanji, forcing a small smile. The coldness in her chest was subsiding and she was slowly getting back to normal. "I just haven't eaten or slept in days…I want to go home. Do you guys know a way out of here?"

She didn't want to spend another second in that world; in the world where the moon was always gleaming down on the castle and the sky was always dark and dreary. She missed sunlight, she missed the warmth of her bed, and she missed Japan. Most importantly though, she missed Adachi. He was probably worried sick about her. She wasn't sure how long she had been trapped inside of this alternate reality, but she had stayed far too long and wanted nothing more than to get out of there.

The brown fox yipped at her side before whimpering and rubbing his head against her leg. Rika bent down and pet his head. "Don't worry, my friend! I'm all right. It's nice to meet you."

Yu glanced around at his friends, a worried look on his face before he nodded. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that this whole ordeal had been _far_ too easy for them, he decided it was best not to question it for the time being. "Let's go home, everyone," he said, leading the way.


	10. Chapter 10

A knock was heard at Adachi's door at close to two o'clock in the morning.

He was still up. Recently, he hadn't been sleeping much; maybe one or two hours of sleep was what he was getting at most since Rika's kidnapping. He had no choice but to put his faith in the pesky kids that knew the "in's and out's" of the TV world, but there was nothing he hated more than waiting around for something to happen. He wasn't able to concentrate at work, he wasn't able to eat much, and the only thing that he could think about was Rika and her safety.

But finally— _finally_ —there was someone outside his door.

The detective jumped out of his bed, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process, and sprang towards the door. His heart was leaping in his chest over the possibility that his days of waiting were over. He hoped that nothing but good news was waiting for him on his front porch, but there was still the possibility that something dreadful could be standing outside, too. There could've been another detective like Dojima-san standing outside, eager to inform him of another body that had sprouted up in Inaba after the fog rolled out. Or it could have been a police officer ready to arrest him for the deaths of Saki Konishi and Mayumi Amano—or even _Rika Azura_.

Either way, there was no way he wasn't going to open the door. He gulped nervously, twisted the bronze door knob, and pushed it open.

" _Rika_ …"

Luck was on his side that evening. If there a human being that didn't deserve the gods' mercy due to his heinous crimes upon humanity, it was Tohru Adachi. And yet, they had heard his prayers, listened to his cries, and granted his heart's desperate desires. His girlfriend that had been missing for over a week now was standing on his door step in one piece, very much alive.

"RIKA!" He shouted her name even louder this time as he ran outside and scooped her into his arms. She hugged him back, burying her face in his chest, and the two stood outside embracing for what felt like an eternity. Neither of them exchanged any words for a moment, content to simply be wrapped up in each other's arms, as their worries finally came to an end.

Rika was no longer trapped in that Hellish nightmare. She was finally free, thanks to Yu Narukami and their other friends, and she had overcome her inner self. Although the negative feelings she had felt over the years still lingered deep within her, Rika no longer had to fear the darkness that swam in the deepest corners of her soul. She had learned to accept who she was—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and she had never had to go back to that dreadful world.

She hadn't been free for very long. Narukami had offered to take her back to her place once they safely made it back through the portal in the TV set at Junes, but there was somewhere else she wanted to go to first. She had thanked them for putting their lives at risk and jumping in to save her, but she needed to be on her own for a bit. Since she had been wearing nothing but a torn and ragged nightgown, Chie had loaned Rika her favorite green jacket. Grateful at Chie's generosity, she offered to clean it and give it back to her at a later time. None of her friends questioned her on why she didn't want to go home or why she said she had something to take care of first, and she appreciated the fact that they weren't too pushy. They had all figured she had been through enough as it was, and acting like overbearing parents and demanding she go home was the last thing they needed to do.

She had ran all the way to Adachi's apartment from Junes. She was tired, out of breath, and her feet had already suffered from enough damage as it was in that other world, but she couldn't have cared in the least. There was no place safer for Rika than in Adachi's arms. She had missed him so terribly and she never wanted to let go. Having his arms around her just felt so right, and it was as if all her problems had melted away. Tears brimmed over the corners of her eyes as she held onto him tighter, but eventually Adachi loosened his grip on her and ushered her inside.

"Rika…I'm so glad you're safe! Are you all right? Ambulance! I should call an ambulance!" He fished his cell phone out of his pocket but Rika quickly prevented him from making any calls as she reached out to hold his wrist.

"N-No! There's no need for that! I'm fine! I promise," she reassured him.

Adachi wasn't too convinced she was "fine", but if she didn't want to go to the hospital, he wasn't going to force her. She had been missing for a week, but her friends had tried to cover up for her at school by telling all the teachers she was out of school because of the flu. No one had questioned her, but it would be mighty suspicious for her to show up at the hospital covered in bruises. Even he was starting to think that a hospital trip was a bad idea. What was she supposed to tell the nurses? That she _tripped and fell_?

He led her over to the couch and encouraged her to take a seat beside him. She looked like a wreck—her hair was tangled, her eyes were red and puffy, and her skin was pale. She must have been through a lot, but it didn't look like there were any serious injuries on her besides a few cuts and bruises. They looked rather painful, but none of her wounds looked like they would require stiches. He pushed a bit of her black hair out of her face to get a better look at her, and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead gently. No matter what horrors she went through in that other world, at least she was safe now. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Rika."

She shook her head before leaning against him. "It's not your fault, Toru. I know you tried your hardest to protect me. Honestly, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt by her."

" _Her_? You mean the demon that kidnapped you?"

"Yeah… It's…kind of a long story. I'll be honest, I don't want to go into too many details tonight. I'm exhausted, not to mention kind of hungry…"

She didn't need to say anything else. Although he wanted to know everything that happened, he wasn't going to push her to relay every horrific detail from the past week. Her mental stability was the most important to thing to him right now and he didn't want to put her any more stress by demanding that she talk to him. So instead, he stood up and walked over to the kitchen.

"What can I make you to eat, my love? All I have is….Uh…." He opened up the cabinets inspecting his current stash of food. "Ramen, ramen, and more ramen….I also have some white rice."

Rika laughed. He was always so bad at remembering to buy groceries so he was so accustomed to getting take-out from cheap fast food places or sushi vendors because of his busy work schedule. "I'll take ramen with a side of white rice, please."

Adachi turned around to face her with a grin. "Well, at least eating a cup of prepackaged noodles you don't have to worry about it being too salty or burnt since I don't technically have to cook it!"

"Actually," she replied, eyes falling to her lap. "I've missed your overly salty and burnt meals."

Adachi's heart sank at the solemn look on her face, and he filled his rice cooker up with rice and set to work on heating up some water for the cup of noodles before he returned back to his lover's side. They remained oddly quietly as Adachi ran his hands up and down her back in a soothing manner, waiting for the timer to go off. Rika didn't immediately attack the meal when it was placed before her after a few long minutes. Instead, she lightly picked at it and gave it only a few nibbles. She had been trapped in that world for a week, but her body hadn't been starving to death. It felt like maybe she had only gone without food since that morning, when in reality, Rika knew she hadn't consumed anything much longer than that. It was just so bizarre how that alternate world worked, but she really wasn't in the mood to think too much on it at that given moment. She had finally gotten out of it and dwelling on it even more wasn't good for mental state.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Adachi asked her. It went without saying that she looked worn out.

She swallowed down a mouthful of ramen noodles, only her third bite, before she had her fill of food for the evening. "I'd rather take a shower. I feel kind of gross…"

"You look beautiful though. You have no idea how good it is to see you, and it's even better knowing you're not seriously injured," he said. He knew better than to assume she wasn't in pain. Now that he was able to look at her more clearly in the light, he could see that she had a lot of scrapes and bruises all over her arms, neck, and legs. Those probably weren't her only markings, either. But her poor feet look like they had been through a lot, what if their purple tint and collection of bloody blisters. She was adamant about not going to the hospital, but that didn't mean she didn't need a first aid kit of some sort.

Rika smiled at his compliment as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears. "Would you mind helping me in the shower? I don't think I'll be able to stand on my own for very long."

More than happy to help her out, Adachi guided his girlfriend towards the bathroom before fetching a clean pair of clothes for her to borrow for the night. He helped her slip out of the green jacket she had been loaned before sliding down the ripped, purple nightgown underneath. Rika had worn that nightgown the night she was kidnapped, and his chest tightened all the more as he realized it was all his fault that he wasn't able to protect her.

In fact, what if he had started this whole ordeal in the first place? What if he was responsible for the attack in the first place because he had angered the shadows of the other world by throwing people into the television sets?!

His mind grew foggy with despairing thoughts as Rika leaned over to turn on the shower. The sight of nude body brought him back into the real world as he gazed at her from behind while she leaned over to test the water of the faucet. He had a feeling the hot water was going to sting some her cuts, particularly the long, deep one across her shoulder blade.

"Don't make it too hot," he warned. "Warm water will be good for cleaning out some of your cuts, but it will make it sting. Do you want me to come in with you and help you bathe?"

Rika weakly nodded as the shower spewed water down from above. She was hesitant to step into the tub until Adachi could accompany her; she might need to lean on him if she got too dizzy from the steam. Adachi's pants and shirt fell to the floor and he took the initiative to step into the shower first before reaching out to help her come inside of it, too. She cringed immediately as the hot water stung her skin, and she hissed in pain from the feeling of it.

"Don't worry. I'll wash you and make sure we get all the dirt out to prevent any infections. I also have some Neosporin and other ointments to help ease the pain once we're done in here," the brunette said in a calm, soothing voice as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Had Rika always felt this small and vulnerable in his arms? He wasn't sure. The water pelted against his back as he held her in his arms protectively, grateful that she had finally returned to him after many agonizing days without her.

"Thanks, Toru. I really appreciate you being so caring with me right now. I'm sure you have so many questions, so I'm sorry I don't think I can talk about everything tonight," the raven-haired beauty answered as she rested her head against his chest, sighing contently. "I just don't want to think about that horrid place now that I'm finally back here safe with you."

His hands ran up and down along her bare back before pulling away so he could look down and meet her gaze with his. "You don't have to apologize. I'm just here to do whatever it takes to make things easier on you."

Her lips curved upward into a small, almost apologetic smile. "Then would you mind washing my hair for me?"

He blew out a dramatic puff of breath while rolling his eyes. "Now _that's_ crossing the line, missy! You're asking way too many things of me! What do I look like? Your slave?" He reached out to poke her gently in the side, tickling her softly and making her giggle just a bit. He then poured some shampoo into his hands before running his fingers through her short, dark hair. Rika was practically purring over the way he lathered the shampoo into her locks, his fingers gently massaging her scalp, and she kept her eyes closed to prevent any suds from falling into her eyes.

One particular moan of contentment sounded a bit erotic, and Adachi could feel a little blood rushing into his lower region. He clenched his jaw tightly, telling himself that this most certainly wasn't the time to be thinking inappropriate thoughts about his traumatized girlfriend who was in need of a little "TLC" and who probably wasn't in the mood for "The D". He would never pressure her to do anything sexual with him whenever she wasn't feeling it or wasn't in the mood, tonight being no exception. Even if that was the case, he couldn't help but still admire her naked body as the water cascaded down her slender body as she rinsed out her hair underneath the shower head.

Her nipples had perked up a bit from the water's warm touch and her nether region was still just as smoothly shaved as it was the day she was kidnapped. It was as if time had no effect on her body while she was in that world, and Adachi was both confused and curious about this new discovery.

No matter how hard he tried, he found it impossible to look away from her beautiful body as she continued to wash out the clumps of shampoo from her silky locks. Rika could feel his eyes upon her and she stepped out from underneath the water and blinked the water out of her eyelashes. "Is something wrong, Toru?"

Adachi realized he must've looked like a pervert the way his eyes had roamed over her whole body. He pushed his slick bangs out from his over his eyes and straightened himself up. "Oh, uh, I was just inspecting your wounds," he lied. "None of them look that deep so we'll get you bandaged up and in bed in no time!"

Normally, an answer like that would have sufficed, but when Rika looked down and saw that his soldier was standing at attention, she realized he must have been staring at her for other reasons, too. Adachi's cheeks flared up into an embarrassed blush as his hands immediately clamped down on his member, shielding his boner from her view. "S-Sorry! Please don't think less of me! I can't help it when I'm around you! Oh, but don't worry; I wasn't going to try anything while we're in the shower even though we're both naked. I'd never take advantage of a girl while she's in a vulnerable state."

Rika took a step towards him, a taunting smirk on her face. "Oh? And why would you ever think I would mind it if you took advantage of me? It never bothered me in the past."

For a split second, her whole demeanor changed. She went from a sleepy, helpless girl who needed to be fed and washed because she was too drained to do it by herself to a teasing vixen with a sultry voice and a lustful gleam in her eyes. In fact, Adachi could have sworn he saw a bit a gold twinkle in her eyes for a second as she batted her eyelashes at him. He figured it was only in his imagination, though.

"Has your lethargy made you a bit loopy, too, my love?" Adachi asked as he leaned forward to ruffle her hair with his hand. "You should probably rest up tonight. We'll have plenty of time for me to take advantage of you later this week after you've caught up on sleep."

Knocking his hand away, the young woman took another step towards him until she could rest her cheek against his bare chest. "You don't understand, Toru," she whispered softly. "I've missed you so much…That place was so awful, so _horrific_ , and the only thing that kept me sane was thoughts of you. So I'd like to get close to you right now and be as intimate as possible. I need you…"

"But your cuts and bruises…" he mumbled as he trailed his fingers near one gash in particular along her shoulder blade. He didn't directly touch the mark, but his fingers were close enough to it to make her tense up. "Your body has been through a lot. I don't want to accidentally cause you pain by making love to you."

"Then be gentle," she told him.

Her voice was so smooth and creamy, and Adachi gulped nervously as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. He could see her need for him and he could hear the desperation she felt in her soft pants. Something hot was stirring within in and it most certainly wasn't from the steam of the shower.


	11. Chapter 11

Adachi knew she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

His lips locked onto hers mere seconds later, his tongue searching for hers to satiate his thirst for her sweetness. His hands were on her hips, slowly guiding her steps towards the back of the shower stall so he could corner her inside. Rika shivered lightly as her bare back brushed up against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, but Adachi continued to keep her mouth sealed by using his own to cover her lips. Only the sounds of the shower and their heavy panting could be heard throughout the entire apartment as the two engaged in a heated kiss.

While he nibbled on her lower lip, the detective's hands began to roam up and down her sides, lightly tickling her waist. Even with the steam enveloping the entire bathroom, goosebumps formed along Rika's skin wherever Adachi's fingers glided across. His touch was like a much needed wake-up call; she really, truly was back in the real world with her beloved. Everywhere he touched had a trail of warmth left upon it, the kind of warmth she had been longing for since her departure into the distant realm, and it reminded her that she was finally safe. Although the events of that horrific place were still fresh in her mind, Adachi's gentle caresses helped her purge those dreadful memories from her mind and simply focus on the present.

His lips left hers only to trail down to her neck. He pushed a few of her raven strands of hair to the side so he could have better access to her ivory skin, and he kissed her delicately in multiple spots. He left a few hickeys along her neck here and there, inwardly wondering what her classmates would have to say about it the next time they saw her. Would they be more concerned that she was out of school for a week due to an unknown illness, or would the fact she was covered in hickeys cause more of a stir? Either way, as long as she wasn't putting up a fight over him leaving marks of possession all along her throat and collarbone, he wasn't going to stop. He abandoned her neck after a moment only to kiss her passionately once again, his hardened cock pressing up against the swell of her stomach.

Rika reached out her hand to grip the base off his manhood, tugging on it to get him even harder. Adachi let out a groan of approval and rested his forehead against her shoulder while she slid her hand up and down his length, her grip tightening just a little bit more each time she reached the tip. It wasn't like her to take the initiative; he had to pretty much guide her through the whole process every time they had sex. But this time, Rika was getting a bit bolder as she stroked his dick, watching as he practically became putty in her hands as his breathing grew heavier.

"Stop it, Rika," he warned her. "If you keep touching me like that, I'm going to cum."

"And…that's a bad thing?" She asked innocently.

Adachi raised his head, a small smirk upon his thin lips. "You don't want me to be down for the count so soon, now do you?"

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before getting on her knees in the tub. "You've been able to cum multiple times in one night before. Why would tonight be any different?" Her hands never ceased their friction upon his shaft as Rika opened her mouth wide, accepting his member into her mouth.

Adachi had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from blowing his load at that exact moment. There Rika was, on her knees before him with his cock shoved all the way back into her throat. Her eyes were looking up to meet his lustful gaze, and she wondered for a moment if she was being much too forward with him. Those thoughts immediately subsided as Adachi tangled his fingers into her thick hair and thrusted his hips forward, forcing her to take more of him into her mouth. "Two can play at this game," Adachi grinned, his hands gripping onto her hair even tighter.

It was hard to suck on him properly as Adachi kept guiding her head back and forth, but she tightened her lips around his member to help add to his pleasure. Her muffled moans were too much for Adachi to handle and he soon found himself unable to hold back. She was such a beautiful sight in this position. Her breasts were bouncing with the movement of her bobbing head, her eyes were closed as she fought the urge to gag as his tip kept going too far past the back of her throat, and her skin was glistening from the veil of water that trickled down her skin from the shower. She was like a seductive siren and Adachi's desire for her was just too strong.

Pleasure ripped through him as he fired his cum into her mouth. He hadn't relieved himself in over a week, too devastated over the kidnapping of his girlfriend to even think about dirty thoughts, so he had more to unload this time than usual. All of his built up frustrations were expelled along with his cum, and Rika coughed as it exploded into the back of her throat. He pulled his dick out of her mouth, but some of it still managed to shoot out of his tip and splash against her cheek. By the time he was done, Rika was covered in his thick juices, and Adachi's heart raced at the erotic sight of his lover soiled by his cum. The shower soon washed away all remnants of his orgasm off her body, but the image of her being covered in his semen was something he wouldn't be able to shake off so easily.

"Damn it, Rika," he breathed heavily, his head spinning as he leaned his shoulder against the shower walls for support. "You are the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Just promise me you won't show this erotic side of yourself to anyone but me, okay?"

Rika nodded happily. "I have no desire to do anything sexual with anyone else but you!"

That was a satisfactory answer. Should Rika ever slip up and cheat on him, he would have no choice but to toss her back into the world she had just escaped from. She was his and his alone; no other man was allowed to dirty her up but him. Helping her to her feet, Adachi pulled up the petite woman by her arm before slamming her back up against the cold shower walls once more.

His mouth ravaged her lips, hungry and demanding, as his hands began to explore every inch of her beautiful body once more. His hands massaged her breasts, squeezing them tightly, before his fingers began to toy with her nipples until they were hard and pronounced. He lowered his head to take one of her peaks in between his teeth, biting down gently. At the feeling of his teeth sinking into her flesh, a knot began to form in her stomach, twisting and twirling as a ball of heat began to burn in between her legs. She gasped as he nursed on one of her breasts, sucking on her swollen nipple, as he used his hands to pry her thighs farther apart from where she stood.

Now, Adachi was the one on his knees. He kissed a trail from her belly button down to her smooth mound that was aching for his sensual touch. He settled in between her legs, his mouth hovering over her slick folds, before he plunged his tongue deep into her cavern. Rika gasped as she felt his hot tongue invade her, and she shuddered from the feeling. He gave her clit a few licks before sucking on the center pearl, causing Rika to writhe helplessly against his mouth. Every lick caused a new flurry of spasms to emerge as Adachi swirled his tongue leisurely around her clit.

He had her right where he wanted her as he kept his face buried in her sweet pussy, and the shaking of her knees let him know she was about cave in. " _Tohru!_ I'm going to cum!" Rika cried out as her muscles began to stiffen. Even with her warning him of her impending orgasm, Adachi continued to lick at her slit with extreme fervor until Rika let out a long, melodic scream. She came onto his tongue, her pussy practically grinding into his face as he lapped up her overflowing honey. Her excess wetness coated his chin and dripped down into the back of his throat, but he showed no signs of letting up. With his lips curls around her diamond, he brought up his fingers to probe inside of her to bring her towards another orgasm directly after her first. The sensation of his fingers delving inside of her hot core made her head spin and the last thing she wanted was for him to stop. The intensity of his movements had her senses heighted, and her throat tightened as she screamed out his name again. " _Ah! It feels so good_!"

With two fingers rapidly pumping in and out of her pink opening, he continued to lick the same spot on her clit over and over. Heat began to build inside of her again until she climaxed for the second time, her hands latching onto his shoulder for support. Adachi moved his fingers out of her core as another flood of wetness flowed into his mouth, and he continued to swallow down every last drop.

Rika's chest was rising up and down with her labored breathing, and soon her legs refused to hold her up any longer. Adachi quickly stood up to catch her before she slumped down into the tub, and he chuckled as he realized that maybe two orgasms back to back was a little too much for her to handle. "You okay, sweetheart?" He asked, holding her frail body close to his chest.

The younger girl nodded slowly, her body still twitching from the overwhelming pleasure brought to her by her orgasms. Even after cumming twice, Rika still couldn't get enough of her lover. She wanted more of what he had to offer her, and she stood up on her tip toes to plant a tender kiss upon his lips. "Will you take me?" she asked timidly, a blush staining her cheeks. "I want to have you inside of me."

The brunette's eyes widened at her request. She came twice but she was still eager for more? She really was the woman of his dreams! His cock began to bulge in anticipation as Adachi hooked an arm under one of her legs, lifting it up high enough so she could hook it around his waist. His cock lingered towards her warm entrance, probing it gently as he fixated his gaze on hers. "You sure you're not too tired he asked? You know once we start going I won't be able to stop until I finish. If you think you'll be too wiped to keep going, better tell me now before we get started. I won't stop fucking you even if you beg me to."

It was funny how he always asked her for consent by letting her know it wouldn't matter later on. She knew it was a bluff though—Adachi would never keep going if he knew he was hurting her or if he knew she didn't want it. Even so, she liked him showing a bit of aggression. It always turned her on when he dominated her, and her heart skipped inside of her chest as she nodded weakly. "Please…I want you, Tohru. I've missed you so much."

He kept one hand on her ass, squeezing her plump rear tightly, as his other hand kept her leg lifted while he eased himself into her heat. Adachi held his breath as her tightness enveloped his cock, and the juices of her orgasms made things nice and slick for his intrusion. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath hot against her cheek. "Rika, it's insane how attracted I am to you. I've never been drawn to a woman like this before. It's like every fiber of my being needs you, _craves_ you…You are mine, for now and forever."

Rika whimpered as his cock was pushed all the way inside of her, and she had to wrap her arms around his neck to keep herself from slipping on the slick flooring of the tub. He pulled himself out of her, only to thrust his cock right back in with a forceful shove. He kept up the same rhythm—slowly pulling out, rapidly shoving back in—until he settled into a fast, stable pace. The steam of the shower had the bathroom completely fogged up, and the musty air only made Adachi grow even hotter. He squeezed her ass even harder, fingernails lightly biting in her skin, as his jaw was clenched tightly. After a moment of feeling her up, the hand that was grabbing her ass was now reaching for her wrists to pin both of her arms over head. He loved restricting the movement of her limbs whenever they made love—it was like proving to her that he was always in control and that he had complete power over her. She would never choose to fight him. After all, she loved him and loved the things he did to her so there was no reason to fight. But of course he had to make it known that even if she did choose to ever go against him, she would lose. Her strength was nothing compared to his.

He fucked her even harder, his eyes never leaving her face as he admired the flushed look in her rosy cheeks while her lips parted ever so softly to release a few pants. Pleasure rolled over in her waves as the closeness of their bodies brought them both to higher places. Adachi knew it was only a matter of seconds before he came again, but he wasn't ready to relinquish the feeling of being inside the raven haired beauty. He released his grip on her wrists, only to tuck both of his arms underneath her legs and lift her off the floor effortlessly.

As if on impulse, Adachi latched his lips onto her neck before biting down roughly. His teeth scraped against her neck as he lost control of himself, his limit finally reached. He let himself pound into her a few times as hard as his pelvis could manage until he allowed himself to have a sweet, savory release. He came inside of her and her screams rose to a crescendo in a mix of pain and pleasure as he bit down even harder. Even as his fluids seeped into her core, Adachi continued to fuck her until Rika had her fair share of ecstasy. All it took was a few more hard slams and Rika was riding out her third orgasm in sync with his thrusts. His teeth didn't relent against her neck until he felt the muscles of her channel tighten up around his cock, and then slowly unwind. He pulled away from her throat, only to see that he had punctured her skin a little too roughly and a bit of blood was spilling from the surface of her flesh. Rika didn't seem to mind too much, or else she wouldn't have been able to cum despite the itchy, stinging feeling in her neck.

Unable to keep going, Adachi set Rika back down on her feet and pulled his throbbing rod out of her. By now, the water of the shower had run cold, but neither of them minded so much. They had been so wrapped up in each other's arms that they hadn't realized the hot water had run out, but at least this way they could cool off a bit before bed. Rika was feeling rather dizzy after having mind-blowing sex with her boyfriend, and she weakly smiled at him through the water of the shower as it flattened her hair against her face.

Adachi reached for the bar of soap, lathering suds all over her slim body to clean her up after their messy "work out". When both of them were fully clean, he turned off the water, wrapped his beautiful lover up in a white, fluffy towel, and guided her towards the bedroom.

They slept naked together that night, not even bothering to fully dry their wet strands of hair as Adachi pulled the covers over them. Rika was back in his arms and there was no way he was ever going to let go of her again. She snuggled against his chest feeling relaxed for the first time in a week as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his gentle breathing as his chest rose up and down.


	12. Chapter 12

Things had been relatively quiet the days following Rika's return from the other world.

She was making a full recovery, both physically and mentally, and Adachi had even stayed at home and took off work that week so he could properly care for her. He had informed his boss that he had come down with the flu, but luckily no one at work had questioned him. He had looked like a complete and total wreck the week that Rika was gone—his skin was pale, his cheeks were sunken in because he didn't eat much of anything that week, and the circles underneath his eyes were as dark as the midnight sky—so it wasn't a surprise he eventually decided to call in sick and "focus on his health". It wasn't like Adachi to take off from work since he took his job very seriously, even though his partner Dojima would more than likely disagree since he found the lanky brunette to be a bit of a goofball. Either way, he was grateful for his boss's leniency towards him taking several days off work in a row.

But for the next five days following Rika's return, work was the last thing on Adachi's mind. All he wanted to do was care for his girlfriend and make sure she was okay. He did wish, however, that Rika would open up to him a bit more and tell him exactly what all happened in that other realm, but Rika insisted she keep it to herself for a little while longer. She didn't like thinking about that place or dwelling on the details; all she wanted to do was forget it ever happened. For now, at least. Running away from problems never truly solved them, but she figured there was little harm in keeping everything to herself for at least another week. Adachi didn't push it, either. He knew she would tell him whenever she was ready.

Rika woke up one morning to the smell of burning rice—his specialty. As usual, Adachi was the first one to wake up and he was already busy preparing breakfast. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Rika got up and skipped over to the kitchen. She was sporting around in one of his white, button down shirts that he often wore to work underneath his suit since she knew Adachi loved it when she wore his clothes around the apartment. He looked at her over his shoulder, that same, silly grin on his face that he always wore, as the fire alarm began to go off in the apartment.

"Oops! Looks like I overcooked the rice! And the pancakes are more like pan _crisps_ , if you catch my drift!" Adachi cried out as he tried to fan the smoke away from the fire alarm so the loud, shrill beeping would silence.

Finding the whole ordeal to be rather amusing, Rika giggled and helped him air out the room by opening up the kitchen window so the smoke would dissipate. The fire alarm eventually ceased its senseless screaming and they were able to enjoy what little of the breakfast was left after the majority of it had been charred to bits.

"How about I do the cooking from now on, Tohru?" Rika offered, the bright smile never leaving her face.

The couple spent the remainder of the day lounging around the apartment, watching various horror movies that Adachi wanted to show her. He had a bizarre fascination with murderers, and his favorite movies were the ones where the villain got away with it in the end. It was strange considering that the sole purpose of his line of work was to make sure the bad guys _always_ got caught, yet here he was sitting here watching "The Silence of the Lambs" with his girlfriend that had never seen it. Rika, of course, chose not to question his taste in movies. To each their own, she guessed.

As the credits of the movie rolled across the screen, Adachi stood up to turn off the TV. It was already half past five in the afternoon. My, how the days were flying by! This was his last day off work with Rika and he had no choice but to return to his duties as an Inaba detective the following day. He wasn't the only one that was going back to their usual routine; Rika would also be going to school for the first time since her kidnapping. She had presented a very compelling story to the school about how she had a nasty case of pneumonia and was highly contagious. Her teachers were rather sympathetic to her "illness" because she was still fairly new to the school. Rika's boss at Junes had also told her to not stress about work and just focus on getting better. Having a boyfriend in the police force was also rather handy since Adachi had managed to get his hands on a forged Doctor's note that let the school and her workplace know that she really had come down with a bad case of pneumonia. As to how Adachi managed to nab a perfectly forged note from a physician in a city over an hour away was beyond her, and she eventually realized it was best not to ask about him about his skeevy methods of acquiring one. Things like that were highly illegal and she figured he was risking a lot by getting her one in the first place. Although she was conflicted by her morals and didn't like the idea of using a fake note to have her extended absence approved by the school without her facing a penalty, she was nonetheless grateful he was sticking his neck out so far for her.

"Hey, Rika?" Adachi asked as he walked back over to the couch to sit beside her. "Since today is our last day of "recuperation", why don't we finish off the week by doing something special?"

" _Special_?" the girl asked, suddenly suspicious of the mischievous glint in his eye. Judging by the way he was looking down at her with a devilish grin upon his handsome face and rubbing his hands together like an evil villain plotting his victim's demise, that something "special" he was hoping for was going to be either illegal or sexual. There was no in between when it came to Adachi, and Rika figured she would just have to go along with it whatever it was.

He knew she seemed skeptical of him, but there was something he had been dying to give to Rika for a while now and the timing had never been right until now. He left her alone in the living room for a moment while he waltzed over to the storage closet down the hallway. He pulled out a cardboard box before kicking the door of the closet closed so he could swiftly return back to Rika's side without wasting another minute.

"I bought this for you to wear a while ago as a gift, but with everything that's been going on recently, I decided to hold off on it until now. Go ahead! Open it!" Plopping the box down right in Rika's lap as she sat on the couch, Adachi stood over her and looked at her expectantly.

Rika was unable to prevent herself from shyly blushing as a gift was presented to her. She always felt bad when Adachi bought her things, mostly because she didn't have a lot of money to return the favor. But as she slid the lid off the box, she realized the gift was more for him than it was for her.

A blue maid dress was folded neatly inside along with a petticoat, a pair of cat ears, white stockings, a cat tail, a collar, a cute lingerie set that matched the maid dress, a pair of hand-cuffs, some vanilla-flavored lubricant, a small vibrator— _oh goodness_ , this was a sexy cosplay kit! Her eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she lifted the dress out of the box, taking note of the fact it was _extremely_ short and _extremely_ sexy.

"Y-You want me to w-wear this?!" The timid girl piped out as she examined the lace and frills that decorated the hem of the dress.

Adachi nodded and placed both hands on his hips. "Of course! I picked it out for you myself because I thought it would look really hot on you and compliment your figure! So whaddaya' say? Will you put it on for me?"

She wasn't sure why the thought of wearing something as simple as a maid dress was making her feel nervous. After all, Adachi had already seen her naked over a million times and he had even snapped a few sexy photos of her in his office before. It wasn't like anyone else was going to see her wear this so it made little sense as to why she suddenly felt self-conscious. Wearing something like that might make her feel a little uncomfortable, but she was willing to do it if it meant Adachi would be happy because of it. With a nod, she picked up the box and all its contents before heading into the bedroom so she could change.

She examined the cosplay kit piece-by-piece before she undressed herself in his room. The lingerie set fit her perfectly—even the bra was exactly her size—and she glanced at herself wearing nothing but the blue, lacy panties and the matching bra in the full-length mirror hanging down from his bedroom door. The material was so thin and her nipples were practically poking right through it. How embarrassing! She quickly slipped on the white stockings that reached her thighs before stepping into the poofy petticoat. It was hard putting the dress on over the petticoat, but she somehow managed to wiggle inside and zip it up in the back without requiring any assistance. The cat tail was supposed to be pinned to the back of the dress and the white apron that she had to tie around her waist covered up the pins, making the tail look a bit more realistic. She finished her ensemble by slipping on the headband with the black cat ears and fastening the collar around her neck. The collar had a metal chain hanging down from the front like a leash, and Rika realized the sole purpose of this costume was to appease those with a cosplay fetish.

Even though her cleavage was practically spilling out of the top and her ass hung out of the bottom, Rika had to admit that she looked rather cute in the maid dress. She liked the fact that it had short, mutton sleeves that fit around her arms like a bubble, and that the apron had cute paw prints embroidered onto the bottom. She had never cosplayed before, but she was starting to understand the appeal of it. She certainly did feel adorable in this dress! Not that she would ever consider wearing something like this in public, though.

After a few moments of checking herself thoroughly in the mirror to make sure she had all the proper pieces in place, Rika walked back out into the living room and left the other "things" like the handcuffs in the box.

Adachi blew a loud whistle from his lips as his pretty little girlfriend stepped out in her new cosplay. It looked magnificent, just like he had expected it to. He already had his phone in his lap, ready to snap photos of her in a maid dress. He took at least twenty photos right off the bat, deciding he would add these to his "stash" whenever he and Rika were too busy to see each other at night. He could certainly get off to these photos, especially when she leaned forward and showed off a little more cleavage. To humor him, Rika posed for him over and over gave him a little twirl to make the dress flow along with her. He got a quick glimpse of the blue panties he had bought alongside the dress, and he was relieved that she didn't forego the lingerie since it only added to her appeal. Adachi chewed on his thumb while watching the pretty cat-girl strut around for him. She even gave him a curtsey and smiled sweetly at him. "Maids are like servants, right? Can I be your personal maid get you anything to drink? Maybe a beer to help you unwind before work tomorrow?"

Adachi could feel his erection pressing against the material of his pants, but he shook his head disapprovingly at her. "No, no, no! If you're going to play the part of a maid, then you have to address me as _master_. Oh, and don't forget to meow! You're part-cat now, after all." He gave her a wink and Rika could feel heat rising in her cheeks. Not only did he have a thing for maid-catgirls, but he also wanted to role play with her. If this was anybody else but Adachi, Rika would have been far too embarrassed to ever consider getting into character with something like this. But with him, she realized she could probably be comfortable doing that.

She had seen enough anime to venture a guess on how he wanted her to act. A cutesy catgirl shouldn't be too hard to do, right? She tucked her hands under her chin to make them look like paws while she cocked her head to side. " _Meowwww_! Is there anything I can get for you, Master?" She couldn't help but snicker over how silly she must have sounded just then. She expected Adachi to poke fun at her for being such a bad actress, but instead he was busy trying to keep himself from having a massive nose bleed as his heart nearly burst in his chest.

 _Ah! Rika was just far too cute to handle!_ He reached for the metal chain that hung down from her collar, tugging her towards him. "Come here, my little kitten!" He patted his thigh, encouraging her to sit on his lap and face him with her legs straddling his waist. Rika was captivated by his fiery gaze, and she instantly felt his boner press against her as she sat on him. Rika found it so baffling that one little dress could turn him on so much, but she had no idea that the dress had very little to do with it. Adachi was more aroused by the bashful expression she wore on her face when she stepped out into the living room, and more enamored by the way she called him _Master_ and meowed so willingly like an obedient servant. The dress, the panties, the cat-ears—they were cute on her, yes, but it was her personality that got him so fired up.

He tugged on her chain even more, forcing Rika to lean in closer to his face. His lips hovered dangerously close to hers, yet contact wasn't being made. "Rika," he whispered, his voice low and husky. "I want you to purr for me."

Confused by his statement, the little catgirl wasn't sure what he meant. And then she felt his hand on her calf through the material of her stockings, slowly riding up her thigh and pushing her dress upwards until her panties were revealed. His fingers brushed against her pussy, rubbing her slit through the thin fabric of the panties, and suddenly she knew what he was talking about.

"I…I can't purr," she mumbled, her shifty eyes revealing to him her shyness.

Grinning, he added a bit more pressure to her sensitive spot, tracing circles around the lining of her labia. "Then tell your master what you want him to do to you."

She gasped, reflexively arching her back as he stroked her nub in the right spot. It was obvious what she wanted him to do, so why did she need to tell him? Adachi got a thrill out of watching her squirm, and he loved pulling her out of her comfort zone. The way she shifted around nervously on his lap, unconsciously grinding her crotch against his was making Adachi all the more aroused.

"Just tell me what you want me to do, Rika-chan. Tell me or I'll stop," he warned her, his face continuing to linger close to hers. To tease her even more, he bent down to nip at her neck and every nerve in her body tensed up. She was such easy prey, and those precious cat ears made her look all the more vulnerable.

Gulping audibly, Rika slowly nodded her head. She most certainly did not want him to stop his ministrations against her pearl; in fact, she wanted him to touch her more. "Pl-Please make me feel good…Please touch me more," she squeaked out.

"Please _what_?" He was enjoying this way too much.

"Please…" Rika looked at him directly with a glazed over look in her sapphire orbs. "Please, _Master Tohru_."

Adachi immediately shoved her off his lap and pinned her to the couch so she was lying on her back. His hands were on her shoulders, keeping her trapped underneath him as his lips finally crashed against hers. Their tongues battled for dominance, but she was no match for Adachi's hunger. His tongue prevailed over hers in seconds, enabling him to explore the caverns of her mouth with ease. He scraped his tongue along the roof of her mouth before taking her lower lip in between his teeth, nipping at her playfully before breaking the kiss.

"Hey, Rika. What'd you do with the other stuff that was in the box?" He asked, urgency evident in his voice.

"In the bedroom," she replied. Adachi hopped off of her with lightning speed and raced into the bedroom, only to come back with the box in his hand.

"Let's see now," Adachi said in a sprightly manner as he began to sort through the objects in the box. "What should we use first? Oh! This will be a great touch!" As expected, he went straight for the hand-cuffs first. These weren't like the ones in his office—they were blue and fuzzy. Rika didn't put up a fuss or a fight as her wrists were hand-cuffed together. After using them the first time, she was able to find enjoyment in having her movements restricted. Since these were soft, they wouldn't leave any nasty marks along her wrists like the last pair did which was definitely a bonus.

Pleased with the fact Rika was now appearing to be even more vulnerable and defenseless than before, he was able to move onto the next thing. He pulled out the vibrator as well as the bottle of vanilla flavored lubricant. "You may not be willing to purr," he said to her with a hint of sarcasm to his voice. "But this thing certainly will!"

She had never used a sex toy before, but this one looked small and harmless compared to some of the more larger, intimidating ones that she had seen floating around on the internet before. This small vibrator was intended for use on the clitoris, but it could still be inserted into the vagina if the user chose to use it that way. Adachi sat on the couch next to her and added a few drops of the lubricant to the vibrator. "I hope you're ready to meow for me, my kitten," he winked as he pressed the toy against her panties.

The hum of the vibrator tickled her in an unusual way. He had started it on a low setting, but it was enough to stimulate her in the most delightful of ways.

"Oh my! That actually feels really good!" She moaned out. Adachi moved the vibrator away, dissatisfied with her answer.

"You're not supposed to moan. Didn't master tell you to meow for him?" He said, his grin as broad as a fox's.

Rika averted his gaze for a moment, hesitant to give into his request. It felt so awkward to play the role of a catgirl, but she had no choice but to oblige him if she wanted him to continue. " _N-Nyaaa_ …" She whimpered out, imitating the anime girls she had seen on TV.

Adachi was pleased, and he rewarded her by sliding down her underwear and dropping them to the floor. He did, however, notice just how soaking they were when they were in his hands. "You're such a dirty little slut, Rika-chan," he insulted her, knowing good and well that his words would only serve to excite her further. He spread her knees apart and allowed the vibrator to come into direct contact with her clit, and Rika's hands immediately clutched the cushion of the couch. The rubber texture felt so gratifying against her pussy, and she began to squirm as her body burned with a raw need for ecstasy.

He rubbed he clit with the vibrator before inserting it inside of her, her wetness providing easy access as the object slid in without trouble. Adachi positioned his face in between her legs, the toy never leaving her core, as he flicked out his tongue along her clit. The lubricant from the vibrator left a delectable hint of vanilla on her pussy—not that she needed it to be tasty since she was just as delicious without it—and he licked at it until Rika was about to burst.

"Master Tohru! I'm cumming already!" She screamed, her knuckles growing white from her tight grip on the cushion underneath her. Adachi pushed the vibrator in deeper as he licked her clit simultaneously, the stimulation in both areas becoming too much. Rika saw stars as the toy reverberated against her G-spot, and her juices drenched it while Adachi continued to sample more of her vanilla flavoring. After she settled down, he pulled the toy out and noticed that she was even wetter than before.

She panted heavily, her hair a disheveled mess from all of her squirming against the couch. Adachi didn't even give her room to breathe as he reached for her leash, tugging her up into a sitting position. The fact that her hands were still cuffed together meant that she had no choice but to sit up when he silently commanded her to.

"Time to help your master relieve some steam."

Adachi got off the couch to unbuckle his pants and soon they were on the ground, discarded along with his shirt and boxers. He stood by Rika as she sat on the couch on all fours, encouraging her to do something about his throbbing erection. "Only you can make me like this, Rika-chan," he groaned as she clumsily tried to wrap her fingers around his base. The hand-cuffs made a hand-job quite difficult for her, and Adachi decided to make it easier for her to pleasure him as he reached out and grabbed the bottle of lubricant.

"For being such a good kitten," he said to her, "I'll let you have a tasty treat." He rubbed the oil all over his cock, making it slick and delicious for her. Rika parted her lips and gladly accepted his cock into her mouth. The sweet taste of the vanilla oil made her mouth water, and she took even more of him into her mouth. Her tongue glided all over his tip, teasing and flicking it, as she maneuvered her head back and forth along his dick.

" _Fuck_ ," Adachi hissed through his clenched teeth, his hands balling into fists at his side. The muscles of his lean biceps were tightening and he stroked her hand gently to encourage her to keep up with it. She was getting really into it, even going as far as to pull his cock out of her mouth so she could lick up and down every inch of it before sucking on it hard as if it were a type of candy. The tables had turned and now the detective was the vulnerable one, his pleasure completely at the younger girl's mercy. "Rika, don't stop!" He commanded, yearning for her to keep sucking on his member.

Before he knew it, cum was spilling out of him and flowing into Rika's mouth. Adachi quickly grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her to take it all in. He didn't want to risk her getting cum all over the dress he had just bought her, even if that would be _really_ hot. Rika complied to his demands and drank down all his cream, trying her best not to gag as it slid down the back of her throat.

His shoulders slumped forward, and soon Rika pulled away after sucking him dry. "Did that feel good, Master?" she asked, smiling up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Looks like someone is being a naughty kitty and needs to be punished."

He reached for her leash, tugging roughly until she was yanked down off the couch and onto the floor. Rika let out a tiny squeak of surprise as Adachi positioned her on all fours, her ass pointed in his direction. He flipped her dress over until her cheeks were exposed to him, but he made no effort to actually remove the dress fully. He reared his hand back before colliding his palm directly with the bare skin of her behind. She yelped out in pain, surprised that he would spank her so roughly out of the blue.

"Beg for mercy, my little pet, and I'll give you another reward," he chuckled darkly, admiring the way his hand-print looked against her creamy skin. He pulled his arm back even further this time, popping her cheek with a bit more force than before.

"Ah! Master! Please stop! You're hurting me!" Rika cried out in a brittle voice, but she felt another smack on her ass shortly after even as she begged for him to stop. Apparently, her reply wasn't good enough because she forgot to finish it off with another meow. To appease him, she let out a loud mewl as her elbows buckled, causing her to sink her face lower to the ground while her ass remained propped upwards.

Adachi licked his lips before gently rubbing the skin that he had just smacked. "That's a good slave," he muttered, hoping he wasn't taking this whole role-playing fiasco too far. He could tell the spanking had hurt her just a bit, but she would soon forget about the pain once he moved onto the next level. Getting on his knees behind her, the brunette guided his manhood over to where her pink flower was waiting for him. He was shocked to find that she was still just as wet before, and he couldn't help but wonder if the spanking only further ignited a flame within her. She was a lot more kinky than he gave her credit for, and he couldn't wait to unravel even more of Rika's hidden sides.

"Tell your master what you want him to do," he commanded, his tip barely brushing against the entrance of her slick depths.

"I…I want…" She breathed, her voice hoarse from crying out in pain. "I want you…to fuck me, Master. Pretty please, _meow_?"

The way she was presenting herself to him with her torso off the ground as she leaned against the floor was so inviting. The fact that her arms were trapped underneath her chest thanks to the hand-cuffs that bound her wrists was driving Adachi mad. He couldn't resist abandoning her side for a moment to snatch up his phone only to take a photo of her assailable position so he could have the memory preserved forever. He took several photos, and Rika was clearly unhappy by his actions.

"Tohru…You know I don't like you taking photos of me like this…" She complained, puffing up her lips in a pouty manner.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Master?" His mocking tone was aggravating, but Rika had no choice but to keep her thoughts and opinions to herself as Adachi steered himself back over behind her again, his cock rubbing against her pussy in a slow, tantalizing manner.

She didn't like the fact that she was such a pushover when it came to him. She didn't appreciate him taking inappropriate photos of her, but she always justified his actions by telling herself it would be okay as long as he didn't show anyone. Adachi must have sensed her irritation as he teased her clit with his cock some more, his tip rolling across her pearl even more.

"Don't worry, my love. No one will ever know just how dirty and filthy you really are so as long as you promise to always be mine."

It was a threat. Clearly a threat. But for some reason, the darkness that laced the edges of his voice made her tremble from desire, not fear. She knew that it wouldn't take much for him to ruin her; he could easily shatter her reputation or even get her arrested with false claims because of his status in the community. He was stronger than her; it would be easy for him to knock her out, suffocate her, and dispose of her body. _Hell_ , all he really had to do was throw her into the TV realm and she would no longer be a hindrance to him or anyone else ever again.

But of course, she knew he wouldn't. Adachi would never hurt her, and that's because she had already vowed to herself to be his until the end of time. Not out of fear, but out of love, lust, and desire. He was the only thing she needed in this world, and she would rather die than be without him.

Her thoughts were disturbed as he forcefully dug his cock into her channel without warning, and she shrieked from the sensation. His cock was throbbing inside of her, stretching her walls, but the lubricant they had applied to their genitals earlier made things a little easier for them in this position. He fucked his little servant from behind, her costume still fully intact. Even though she was fully clothed, she was just as sexy in the dress as she was when she was nude. And of course the fact that her cat-tail accessory was waving in the air in sync with his thrusts only made her appear all the more alluring.

Rika was wildly meowing as he pounded into her from behind, and his steady pace was driving her mad with pleasure. The vibrator had felt good, but nothing felt as incredible as his thick, hard cock. He knew how to hit her designated spot just right, and he made sure to penetrate her deep so she was getting the proper amount of stimulation inside. He was going to blow his load soon, the tightness of her pussy being so invigorating, but he wanted to make sure she finished first so that her pleasure was maximized.

He felt a little guilty for being so rough with her. After all, she was his fragile princess that needed to be treated like a delicate flower. But it was just so hard for him to hold back, and the urge to constantly pick on her and degrade her sexually was just far too strong. Here she was on all fours, meowing like a cat just because he told her to. No one else had this kind of power over her, and it gave him a sick sense of satisfaction because of it.

He could feel her getting close as the muscles of her body began to spasm uncontrollably. Her breathing hitched in the back of her throat as electricity flowed through her veins. She felt herself soar above the clouds as Adachi repeatedly slammed against her G-spot, and she screamed in delight as her honey flowed onto his member. Adachi kept going, letting her ride out the feeling of her orgasm, before he finally snapped. He unleashed himself into her, his hot cum filling her up. He jerked his head back and allowed himself to bask in radiant feeling of his release before he slumped forward and struggled to steady his rapid heartbeat. He was covered in a thin veil of sweat which he promptly wiped away before pulling out and collapsing beside her.

"Hey, Tohru?" Rika asked.

He could only muster a tiny grunt to let her know he was acknowledging her.

"Will…Will you buy me more cosplays?"


	13. Chapter 13

Adachi could hardly wait to show Rika the Summer Hanabi Festival. For him, these festivals were rather boring and mundane. They always had the same stalls, offered the same food, and even showed the same fireworks show in Inaba year after year. But Rika had only recently moved to Japan, and they didn't have festivals like these where she came from. He knew her whole face would light up the moment she stepped foot into the festival, and the fanciful decorations and the delicious food were sure to bring a smile to her face. Going to the Hanabi Festival with her would certainly make for a memorable evening, and luckily he managed to get off work early enough on this particular Saturday evening so he could accompany her.

To commemorate her first Japanese summer festival, Adachi had decided to surprise his lover with her own yukata to wear. Of course, a regular yukata just simply wouldn't do. She needed something with a little pizzazz and style; something cute, elegant, and classy all in one.

"Toru?" Rika called out from the bathroom. "Are you sure this is okay? What if I stand out too much?"

Adachi sat on his couch and rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he waited for his beautiful girlfriend to step out and show off the yukata he bought her. He could hear the sound of the bathroom door opening as well as the soft padding of nervous footsteps slowly approaching the den. Rika stepped out and Adachi couldn't help but gasp as his impeccable tastes in clothing suited Rika perfectly. The top was fashioned like a regular black yukata, but instead of falling down to her ankles in a straight, board-like manner, it was cut off at the waist. Overlaying the yukata was a five-tier purple skirt that flared out around her knees. She had to wear a petticoat underneath it to give it a nice poof, and the black thigh-high stockings she wore underneath really helped tie the ensemble together. Adachi grinned in approval, and it was clear that he loved spoiling his girlfriend with lovely gifts so she could wear fashionable outfits that complimented her unique style. But as cute as she looked in that, something was missing.

The detective rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before he suddenly remembered he had yet another gift for Rika. Not only did he purchase her the fancy yukata, but he had also bought her something to go with it. He jumped out of his seat and shuffled off into his bedroom, only to return seconds later with a small box. He opened the lid of the box and revealed to Rika a beautiful star hair clip that matched the color of her purple skirt. He tucked a few strands of her ebony hair back before securing the star hair piece into place. "Ah! Absolutely perfect!" Adachi said as he admired Rika by letting his eyes wander all over her body. "Whenever I think of stars, I can't help but think of you. You're both flashy, brilliant, and breathtaking."

Rika smiled at his heartwarming compliment, and she stood up on the tip of her toes so she could plant a tender kiss of gratitude on his cheek. As happy as she was over receiving something so beautiful, Rika didn't like that he was always presenting her with new clothes or accessories every time they spent time together. "Toru," Rika murmured as she began to fidget with the hem of her long, black sleeves. "You know you don't always have to buy me things. I could have just worn something I already had in my closet." The last thing she wanted was for him to feel pressured to always buy her things, especially when she had a part-time job of her own and was used to buying things that she wanted herself.

"I didn't do it because I _had_ to. I did it because I _wanted_ to," he reassured her, patting her gently atop of her head. "I like seeing you in cute clothes. Is there a problem with that?" Rika looked flustered, and Adachi got a weird sense of enjoyment out of watching her blush. She really was just too cute to handle at times.

He eventually left her side so he could get changed out of his work clothes and slip into his own yukata. His was a lot less intricate that her attire since he had settled on wearing a plain yukata the color of sand with a navy blue obi. He always preferred to dress in simple colors and designs since it made it easier for him to blend into the crowd if he was ever up to no good, but seeing as how everyone and their cousin was going to attend the Inaba Hanabi Festival, Adachi had come prepared. When he walked back into the living room, he was carrying two masks with him: a fox mask and a cat mask.

"Since we're going as a couple," Adachi said, "We need to make sure no one we know recognizes us. It's common to wear traditional masks like these at festivals, so if you see someone you know, quickly put it on. I wouldn't be surprised if Dojima and his daughter were coming, too. We can walk around casually together when we're not wearing the masks, but if we hold hands and stuff, the masks need to be on. Got it?" Rika was offered the white cat mask that had cute whiskers and a little nose painted on it. Adachi's kitsune mask was wearing a mysterious, sly smirk on it, and Rika couldn't help but find that it suited him really well.

With their masks properly situated on their faces to hide their identities from the world so they could hold hands, the couple made their way over to the shrine where the Hanabi Festival was located. Lanterns hung down from the street poles, illuminating the path where stalls of all kinds were lined up in front of the shrine. Taiko players banged on their drums and flutists offered a gentle melody to entertain the viewers as they paraded through the festival. Everyone was dressed up in their summer yukata, and Rika and Adachi weren't the only ones wearing masks, either. Energy was practically pulsing from all of Inaba's residents as laughter filled the evening air, and Rika couldn't stop smiling as she entwined her fingers through Adachi's hand.

It was nice being able to be open about their relationship, and she was grateful for the masks. However, Adachi pulled a gutsy move when he removed his mask as he stepped up to play one of the many carnival games. Rika quickly glanced around the area, scanning for familiar faces in case someone spotted them together. She didn't see any signs of her classmates, so that was a relief, at least. Adachi could tell she was panicking over getting caught with him, but it wasn't as if they would get in trouble just by being _seen_ together. "Don't be so stiff, Rika-chan!" Adachi told her, grinning all the while. "How about this! I challenge you to a duel! If you can beat me in this shooting game, I'll wear the maid costume I bought you—complete with cat ears!"

Rika laughed at the thought of him wearing that sexy little maid dress. Although she was still worried about being caught, Adachi's relaxed demeanor put her at ease and she slid off her own mask as well, finally able to inhale the fresh festival smells of roasted takoyaki and cotton candy that wafted through the air. Not one to turn down a challenge, she smirked at Adachi and took one of the rifle props. "You're on!" She exclaimed as Adachi paid the fare to play the game.

The guns shot out small balls and the goal was to knock down as many bottles as possible within two minutes. Unfortunately, Rika was only able to knock down two. Those suckers were heavy! It required the perfect aim to knock them down, and Rika had a hard time keeping the gun steady long enough to shoot since it was rather heavy. Adachi, however, had no problem aiming the gun just right to knock the bottles off balance, resulting in the score from 13 to 2. Adachi certainly whooped her butt at the game, but even the old man running the game was impressed by Adachi's skill.

"You're the first person to knock that many bottles down in less than two minutes! Most people can barely manage to knock down six or seven!" The old man applauded Adachi and had no choice but to offer him any prize off the shelf. There were stuffed bears of all sizes and well as anime figurines and costumes. Adachi immediately set his eyes upon the back playboy bunny costume set that was hanging up on one of the prize racks. With a devilish grin, he pointed directly at it and declared, "I'll take that fine bunny girl costume as my prize, my good sir!"

Rika nearly died of embarrassment as the old man nodded his head and bagged up the costume for him. "H-Hold on!" Rika squeaked out, tugging on Adachi's sleeve. "Why did you pick _that_ one? There are so many other prizes to choose from! Plus, how do you know that will even fit me?"

Adachi feigned a look of confusion as he stared down at Rika. "Who said it was for _you_?"

The expression on Rika's face was priceless. Her embarrassment immediately faded as a look of horror and shock took over her features. Adachi immediately burst into laughter. She was so easy to tease, and he handed her the bag with the bunny girl costume in it before patting her shoulder gently. "Have I told you lately how cute you are, my little pet?" He knew without a doubt that the costume would fit since most costume prizes were always a "One Size Fits All". Even if it was a bit snug on her, he had a feeling her chest would fill out the top quite nicely and he couldn't wait to see her in it later. Rika pouted alongside him, her lower lip puckering out just a bit as she folded her arms over her chest angrily.

"You're such a meanie, Toru!"

"Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist~!"

The couple moved on from the shooting gallery and made their way down the various rows of food stalls and games. An archery range caught Rika's attention, and she was immediately drawn to the wooden bows and targets that were lined up. "Oh! Adachi! Mind if I play?" She asked, tugging on his hand as her eyes twinkled with excitement. She had taken archery back at her old school, and it had been awhile since she had been able to practice. She had to leave her favorite bow and arrow set back in Europe since she wasn't allowed to carry it on the plane ride over to Japan, and the thought of being able to hold a bow again was refreshing.

As if Adachi could say no to an adorable face like that. He nodded, and Rika skipped over to the booth to play the game. She was handed a bow and a set of six arrows. If she managed to hit the center of the bullseye target with any of her six arrows, she'd win a prize. Bales of hay were stacked up behind the wooden targets to prevent any straw arrows from hitting anything behind the archery range. Confident in her abilities, Rika adjusted the string of the bow and got into her position. She steadied her aim, breathed deeply through her nostrils, and concentrated on the target in front of her. She released her grip on the arrow and it went soaring through the air. Unfortunately, she missed the wooden stand of the target and her arrow pummeled into a stack of hay. Adachi clapped his hands in a sarcastic applause over her miss, and Rika threw him a bitter glare over her shoulder. She was just getting warmed up, but the next arrow would hit the target for sure!

She brought the bow back up again and pulled the string back. It was important to keep herself calm and focused, so she tried her best to ignore Adachi's mocking snickers from behind her. She released the arrow and it went spiraling towards the mark, hitting it directly in the center mark. Adachi's chuckles ceased as his jaw was slung open. On her second try, Rika hit the mark perfectly!

"Congratulations, young lady! You just earned yourself our grand prize," said the old lady who was running the booth. She handed Rika a golden ticket, and the young girl's eyes sparkled in amazement. "This ticket can be exchanged for any prize at any booth of your choice. Just be sure to use it by the end of the night!"

Wow! Talk about lucky! Rika jumped up for joy as she waved her ticket in the air. In her mind, this was just as good as winning the lottery! "Toru, can you believe it? I got a ticket!"

Adachi smiled at her enthusiasm over winning the ticket. He was impressed by how perfect her aim had been, and he couldn't help but wonder if a technique like hers could eventually be useful to him or not. Now wasn't the time to think of such things, of course, since Rika was already pulling him down the aisle to move onto the next thing. If he was being honest, food sounded the most appealing to him at that moment, and it turned out he wasn't the only one hungry. The delicious aroma of the many food stations had Rika's stomach grumbling painfully, and she reached into her bag to pull out her wallet before Adachi stopped her.

"Don't even think about it," he said. "Tonight is my treat! So pick whatever you want to eat!" The wink he gave her signaled that there was no room for arguing with him, so Rika had no choice but give up. She decided to let her nose guide her through the festival, and she soon found herself standing in front of a dango stand. She happily ordered a stick and five round dumplings were placed on top. They were piping hot, but she happily devoured four of them and let their soft, savory texture practically melt in her mouth. Savory soy sauce had been drizzled on top of them, a little bit dripped down her chin. She quickly wiped it away with a napkin so it wouldn't get on her brand new outfit.

"Can I have a nibble?" Adachi asked since watching her eat them was starting to make him have a hankering for dango himself.

"Sure!" Rika said, offering him the stick. Instead of taking it from her he simply opened his mouth and invited her to feed him herself. Rika glanced around the area, double checking to make sure no one caught them as she placed the stick near his mouth, urging him to take a bite. Being here at the festival with him was so nice since they finally had the chance to act like a real couple. Rika knew she would never forget this night as she laughed as Adachi realized just how hot the dango were. His face was tinged with red as he tried to force the flaming ball of roasted dough down his throat. For someone who always burnt the food while cooking, he really couldn't handle eating things at a hot temperature!

Adachi regained his breathing after his mouth suffered a fatal blow, and he was just about to say something snarky to Rika before he looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar face. His coworker, Dojima, was standing at the stall next to the dango kiosk, and he was purchasing a bag of cotton candy for his daughter, Nanako. Panicking, Adachi swiftly put on his mask and yanked Rika's up to her face.

"Rika! We need to get out of here! Dojima's right behind you!" He whispered, reaching for her hand as he quickly scampered down the festival lane. As he broke into a sprint Adachi was practically dragging her along, nearly causing her to trip over a crack in the sidewalk as he hurried away from the crowd.

"We're wearing masks so there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Rika called out, trying her best to match his pace.

"I don't want to risk him recognizing my voice or something!" He was being a bit paranoid, but of all the people he didn't want to run into Dojima had made the top of that list! If Dojima caught wind that Adachi was fooling around with a high school girl, he'd get him fired for sure. Not only that, but he'd make sure he was blacklisted from the Inaba community as a whole. How could he continue carrying out his plans if he brought too much attention to himself?!

He ended up pulling Rika away from the festival, leading her down a dirt path that stretched into the woods surrounding the shrine. With the trees casting a shadow over them, Adachi and Rika were safe from being caught. He slipped off his mask, trying to catch his breath, and he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry to tear you away from the festival like that. I think we should hide out here for a bit. Unless you'd rather just go home?"

Rika could understand his paranoia; his life was basically ruined if they ever got caught. She hated that he was always risking himself and his job just to be with her, but it was so unfair that they couldn't even enjoy a peaceful night at the Hanabi Festival together without fear of being seen. Even with the masks on, it would be hard for them to fully enjoy the festival since no one knew Adachi better than Dojima. He'd be able to see through any disguise he wore, more than likely.

But at the same time, it would have been a waste for them to go home already! Rika still had to cash in her ticket and decide on a prize and there were still so many food booths she wanted to check out. Adachi could see it in her eyes that she wasn't ready to leave yet, and he checked the watch on his wrist as he pursed his lips together in thought.

"The fireworks show will begin in about five minutes," he told her. "After that, the festival will still be open for another hour so we could still make another loop around the festival before everyone starts closing their shops. Knowing Dojima, he'll probably take Nanako home right after the firework show. If you don't mind watching the fireworks from a safe distance over here, we'll head back over to the booths afterwards."

The long limbs of the trees would make seeing the lit up sky difficult, but Rika didn't care. If it put Adachi at ease, she didn't mind watching it over here. "I'm sorry to be such a bother. If you had gone with anyone else but me, you could have enjoyed the festival more," she said, looking down at her feet as she lightly dug her heel into the dirt.

"As if," he grunted. "I've been to these countless times. I mean, don't get me wrong—I like the food! But I honestly wouldn't have gone if you didn't want to go. So in reality, it is _me_ who should be apologizing to _you_. If you had gone with your friends, you could have had a lot more fun. Plus, you wouldn't have gotten here so late considering you wouldn't have had to wait for me to get off work." He lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his head realizing that maybe he should have never invited Rika out here in the first place. It would have been much more enjoyable for her to have gone with her classmates, but he had been selfish and wanted her all to himself. He had been looking forward to seeing her wear the yukata he bought her, and he was having so much fun watching her get excited over all the booths.

"I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else," Rika replied, taking his hand in hers. "Nothing makes me happier than going to the festival with the person I love most!"


	14. Chapter 14

"I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else," Rika replied, taking his hand in hers. "Nothing makes me happier than going to the festival with the person I love most!"

Right as she uttered those words, loud rockets fired into the air and exploded into a myriad of beautiful colors. Fireworks lit up the sky and all the noise around them was drowned out by the popping and crackling sounds coming from above. From where she and Adachi stood under the trees, Rika could still clearly see the beautiful display and was amazed by the sparkling colors and unique shapes that decorated the sky. Adachi, however, could not have cared less about the fireworks. He was more interested in the exquisite expressions his beloved girlfriend wore on her face. One minute she looked entranced, and the next she looked startled whenever a particularly loud one whistled and cracked. Something as mundane as a fireworks show was enough to captivate her attention and thoroughly entertain her. She was a simple girl, it didn't take much to make her smile, and he really loved that about her. She was always able to find incredible joy in the small things in life and Adachi could only wish he could be more like that. Perhaps his path in life would have turned out differently if things like fireworks could amuse him rather than sinister murders that brought all of the town's residents into a state of fear and uncertainty.

But none of that stuff mattered in that particular moment. "Rika," he whispered, taking a step close to her. For a moment, she turned her away from the illuminations over her head to look at the detective. He closed in on her and his lips met with hers as he pinned her body up against the tree. She was surprised at first but soon relaxed against him as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. The moment could not have been more perfect as he pulled away to smile down at her while the colorful sky cast a vibrant glow upon his handsome face.

"I love you, Tohru," Rika told him. "You mean the world to me."

He didn't respond to her feelings with words, but instead chose to show her how he felt through actions. He lowered his mouth to her lips again, hands running up and down along her torso before stopping at the belt of her yukata. Rika was distracted by the way his tongue tantalizingly circled around hers inside of her mouth that she didn't even notice he was tugging the obi off of her waist until her top was completely open in the front. Breathless, she broke the kiss and shot her eyes open.

"Tohru! What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, holding her top closed with her hands.

Adachi laughed at her embarrassment, shaking his head. "Relax, my dear. No one is around and everyone is focused on the fireworks. We can do whatever we want over here."

Not convinced that this was a good idea, she kept her chin pointed to the ground. "I don't know about this… Maybe we should wait until we get back to your place."

"Just trust me, my love," he whispered into her ear, his breath sending shivers from the base of her spine and all the way up to the back of her neck. "You don't have to do anything. Just sit back and enjoy it." He pulled back the top of her yukata and slipped the cotton garment off her shoulders. Underneath she was wearing a purple bra with a cute bow tied in the front. She looked like an angel with her innocent choice of lingerie and fluffy skirt, and Adachi was hell-bent on preserving this image in his head. He would have taken a photo, but there was hardly any time for him to fiddle with his phone. They'd only have until the fireworks show ended.

He jumped straight into things by latching his lips upon her neck, leaving hot trails of hickeys against her collarbone. There were still marks on her creamy skin from their previous night of love-making, and Adachi hoped they would never fade. He reached around to unhook her bra, snapping the hook undone in one fluid motion, before he dropped the whole undergarment to the ground. Rika didn't even care that her yukata and her favorite bra had fallen into the dirt by her feet as her arousal kept her mind focused on the handsome man in front of her.

He dove downwards to nip at one of her hardened peaks, and he lapped at it and offered it plenty of nibbles before moving his attention to the other breast. The more he toyed with her nipples, the more soaked her panties grew. She grinded her hips against his to provide her with some friction for a bit of relief, and she felt the bulge underneath his robes rub up against her.

Adachi lifted his head up to trap her lips in a kiss once more before his hands reached under her skirt to pull down her panties. Rika had to help him remove them as she wiggled out of them, letting her panties fall down to her ankles. When the lacey garment was finally off her, Adachi dipped his fingers into her wet depths and stroked her narrow slit. Rika practically purred as the heel of his palm pressed against her clit while two fingers plunged inside of her sheath. She was so wet, so deliciously enchanting, and Adachi pulled his hand away as he got down on his knees in front of her. He lifted up her skirt so he could look at her smooth flower, and he pushed her thighs apart as she braced her back against the tree.

His face was positioned in between her legs as he slipped his tongue inside of her heat. The spice of her arousal covered his tongue as he licked at her moist center, giving extra special attention to her sensitive clit. "T-Tohru!" She panted, looking down at him through a heavy-lidded gaze. "We should stop! What if someone sees us?"

The sound of explosive booms still resonated through the air; the show wasn't over and they still had time. The city council always spent a generous amount of funds on the summer festival and a large portion was used to present the residents with a magnificent fireworks show that lasted a decent amount of time. He wished she would stop being so nervous and just enjoy his treatment as he traced the edges of her pearl with his tongue while his fingers found their way deep inside of her opening once again.

He could feel the muscles in her legs relaxing as she got swept away in the moment once again, and he made sure to keep up his sensual torture by delving his fingers into her harder. Her mewls encouraged him to give her more, and soon he could feel her inner chambers tightening around his fingers. Her fingers entwined themselves in his short hair, and her nails lightly scratched along his scalp. Her head was tipped back, eyes sealed shut, before a wave of pleasure consumed her body. She trembled against the tree, knees quivering, as Adachi drank down the juices of her orgasm. He gave her petals one final kiss before he pulled his head away and got back to his feet. Judging by the loud music in the background that rose to a powerful crescendo, the fanfare was coming up. They had approximately five minutes left so he needed to hurry.

Adachi untied his obi and his cock sprang from its confinement as his boxers fell to the ground. He was incredibly hard after having the opportunity to pleasure his girlfriend in a public setting—a long term fantasy of his—and he couldn't wait to make her his at the annual festival. Effortlessly, he lifted up her leg and wrapped it around his waist, bringing the head of his cock towards her entrance. The silky material of her thigh high stockings rubbed against his palm as he pushed his cock into her. Their standing position made it hard for him to slide in easily, and Rika had to angle her hips just right for him to be able to fill her up with him entirely. Even if it took them a few tries to get things just right, Rika still found the whole scenario to be extremely erotic. He was taking her right then and there and no one was going to stop him.

With her hands gripping tightly on his shoulders, Rika braced herself as Adachi began to push his member in and out of her core at a steady pace. His chiseled stomach muscles contracted with every thrust, and the lighting from the fire flowers illuminated them perfectly as his yukata hung open. It was hot and humid out there by the trees and sweat was forming on both of their half-nude bodies, but neither of them seemed to care as Adachi kept pulling himself back and forth against her. He took her wrists in his hand, pinning her into place, and rammed into her harder and faster to help speed up the process.

The final rocket fired into the air, glittering the atmosphere with orange and yellow sparkles, and the music from the festival began to die down. The show was over and soon people were going to make their final rounds at each of the booths before everyone closed up. Even though they no longer had the roaring sound of fireworks to drown out the noises of their sinful actions, Adachi kept going. Rika was completely at his mercy as he showed no signs of stopping until he finished what he started.

Adachi let out a feral growl as he could feel his impending release building up inside of him. He squeezed Rika's thigh in his palm, his grip tightening, as he bit his lower lip. A feral growl ripped from his throat and pleasure crashed against him like a tidal wave. He finally reached his limit, shooting out a stream of cum into Rika's wetness, before a heavy sigh was expelled from his lips. By this point, Rika was beginning to grow panicked as she could hear the chatter of people nearby—there was no way she'd be able to finish with her nerves going into a frenzy, so she encouraged Adachi to stop as she lightly pushed against him.

"We can finish up later," she muttered before bending down to scoop up her discarded yukata top and belt. She hurriedly secured her obi into place, slipped her panties back onto her hips, and then helped Adachi tie his obi around his hips until it looked halfway decent. Their cheeks were flushed and sweat pooled around their foreheads, but luckily since it was summertime and always hot in the evenings no one would notice anything was amiss about them.

"Now wasn't that exciting?" The brunette grinned as he patted down the wrinkles of his yukata.

Rika had to admit that the thought of being caught was thrilling, just like it had been when they had made love in his office a few months back, but it was still completely reckless and foolish on both their parts to take such a major risk. She commended herself for her ability to keep her voice low, but something in her told her they really shouldn't do things like that in public again. If it wasn't for the fireworks, it would have been impossible to get away with something like that. Next time Adachi suggested doing something so careless, she would have to put her foot down.

Then again, she always had such a hard time resisting him…

They both put on their masks, concealing their true identities once more, as Adachi lead Rika by the hand back to the festival. Many booths were still open, but the amount of attendees was dwindling down as almost everyone was headed home for the night. If they hurried, maybe they could swipe the last batch of festival foods before the festival closed down.

The pair strolled around the aisles and Adachi was able to nab an order of yakisoba and takoyaki before it was too late. Rika, however, was at war with herself on what she should spend her golden ticket on. Nothing had really jumped out at her but it would have been such a waste if she didn't find at least _something_ that caught her eye! She had to make up her mind fast since most of the vendors were pulling down their curtains and boxing up their leftover goods.

One booth, however, was still brightly lit by the lanterns towering above it. High-pitched squeaks were erupting from the booth as an older woman encouraged those who passed by to check out her farming goods. Curiosity took over Rika as she left Adachi's side for a moment to go check it out while Adachi waited on his order of takoyaki to come off the grill. When Rika arrived at the booth, she gasped at the type of "prizes" this booth had to offer.

In a box in front of the stand, a dozen baby chicks were chirping loudly. They were bright yellow with tiny nubs for wings and skinny little legs that hopped around. They immediately stole the young girl's heart as she bent down to inspect them closer. "Good evening, young lady!" The older woman in charge of the booth smiled welcomingly at Rika, encouraging her to browse all she wanted. "Are you interested in a baby chicken? I'm afraid I need to get rid of them before the night is over since it'll be hard taking them all back with me."

The sounds of their peeping made her melt and she couldn't resist picking one up and holding it in her palms. The happy little chick squeaked repeatedly at Rika, almost as if it were encouraging her to take him home with her that night.

"Don't even think about it," said a stern voice from behind her. Rika craned her neck to look up at Adachi through her mask. He was no longer wearing his as he blew on his takoyaki to cool it down so he could finally eat it. "Your apartment doesn't allow pets."

While Adachi took a bite of his steaming hot food, Rika feigned an innocent smile as she stood up, the little chick still squawking in her hands. "But chickens don't count as pets, right?"

"Yes they do!" Adachi snapped, nearly choking on his octopus ball as the hot breading stuck to the back of his throat. He coughed a few times before curling his brows forward in Rika's direction. "Seriously. Put the chick down and go find something else. I just passed by a jewelry booth that had some pretty necklaces and the vendor told me your golden ticket would enable you to pick out anything you wanted."

After seeing the baby chicks, there was no way she could walk away from them and get a necklace instead. "But…But Tohru…" Rika mumbled, holding up the chick until it was eye level with Adachi. "This little guy needs a home! He needs a good mama and papa to take care of him so he can grow into a big, healthy chicken!"

Adachi rubbed his temples with his forefinger. "Rika, the answer is no."

"But it's just a baby! We can't abandon him here!" She whimpered, her eyes wide and pleading as she imitated a pouty puppy dog. The old lady working the booth was amused by the banter between them, and she devised an evil scheme to help make Adachi give into her.

"It's a shame… I can probably take eleven with me back to my home and care for them, but I couldn't possibly take twelve. The one that doesn't get adopted will just have to get fried up and served as a chicken nugget for my grandkids' dinner tomorrow night," the old woman sighed. It was obviously a lie—anyone would have been able to tell—but for some reason it went completely over Rika's head. In an instant, her heart shattered and she held the baby chick close to her chest.

"Th-That's awful!" She piped out, holding the chick protectively. "Tohru! Did you hear that? She can only take eleven home with her, but there are twelve! That means the twelfth chick is going to get eaten tomorrow since she doesn't have room for it!" Tears were brimming at the corners of her eyes as she stared down at the little peeper in her hands.

Adachi was dumbfounded by his girlfriend's naivety, but he was more irritated at the old hag that spouted out such utter nonsense. "Don't be fooled, Rika," he growled out, crossing his arms in front of him. "The old woman is just trying to convince you to take one home. She's not going to eat him. Just put the chick back."

"No way!" Rika whined, nuzzling her nose against the bird's tiny beak. "I won't let her cook him! He's a precious baby and deserves to be cared for and loved for all eternity!"

There was just no getting through to her, was there? He had never seen her act so stubborn before, and he felt like this was a battle he just wouldn't be able to win. She was staring down at the little chicken as if it could understand her sentimentality towards it. The damn bird had her wrapped around its finger—or wing, to be precise—and it was happily squeaking at her like it knew it was winning her over with its cuteness. Giving up, Adachi threw up his hands in defeat and hung his head.

"All right! Fine! Get the stupid chick if you want to! But don't come running to me when you get evicted from your apartment for having an unauthorized pet," Adachi grumbled. She really could be childish at times, but it was just too adorable for him to handle. The way she was whining and begging was incredibly cute and he just didn't have the heart to argue with her anymore on this matter. Just so long as he didn't have to take care of the little chick, he was fine with it.

Rika's eyes watered in delight as she broke into a large smile. He had given her permission to get the chick, and she could not have been happier. She handed the old woman her golden ticket and was offered a small box with a bag of chick feed to take with her.

"Pleasure doing business with you, young lady!" The elderly woman told the ecstatic young girl as she placed the chick in the box. "Make sure you take good care of it!"

"Oh, I will! You can count on me! I'll treat this little angel with all the love and care in the world!" She responded as she picked up the box with her baby chick in it and followed Adachi out of the festival.


	15. Chapter 15

"Well, what should we name it?"

"I don't know. It's _your_ chicken."

"Yes, but he's _our_ child!" Rika was holding the tiny box with the baby chick in it as if it were a crate full of the most precious jewels. A chipper smile was plastered on her face as she skipped alongside her boyfriend, eager to get her new friend home. Adachi was not enthused about the baby chick in the least. He highly doubted that Rika knew just how much responsibility a pet was going to be. She'd have to feed it, clean its coop, make sure it had ample amounts of water each day, and make sure it got plenty of exercise. Not to mention the fact that having an indoor chicken as a pet meant _lots_ of poop for her to clean up. Would her landlord really be okay with her having such a pet? He had a feeling Rika hadn't taken everything into consideration and made an impulsive decision by adopting the peeping chick before consulting her landlord.

Rika began to list random names she liked for the baby chick. "Let's see…..Squishy is cute. He is very squishy. Fluffles, Sparkles, Blossom, Peaches, Clucky….There are so many possibilities!"

"What about Drumstick? Or Nugget? Definitely Nugget!" Adachi teased.

Rika's eyebrows wrinkled at his suggestion, and she turned up her nose to them. "No way! He's not a meal! It'd be cruel to name him something like that!" Inside the box, the little chick that had remained silent during most of their walk home was suddenly chirping loudly and scuffling about.

"I think he likes the name Nugget! Suits him pretty well since there's not a lot of meat on him yet!" Adachi draped his arm across Rika's shoulder, pulling her closer to him so he could peer down into the box at the happy little chicken. "But we have plenty of time to fatten you up so you'll make a satisfying dinner. Don't you think so, _Nugget_?"

It hopped up and down in the box over Adachi's sarcastic statement. Rika elbowed him in the gut playfully—as if she'd ever let him eat her precious baby! Well, at least the chick didn't seem to mind the name Nugget. "Fine, fine! His name is Nugget now!" Rika conceded that Adachi had indeed picked a rather cute name for it. But calling her new baby chicken Nugget just seemed so wrong. "Just keep all jokes about eating him to a minimum! The little guy is sensitive and doesn't want to be reminded that most of his cousins were sold to KFC."

The walk back to Rika's apartment was rather enjoyable, and since the streets were pretty much empty they didn't have to worry about being seen by anyone and could be as affectionate with eachother as they wanted. During their walk, Adachi had sneaked in a few kisses here and there and continued to pester her by occasionally nipping at her ear until they found themselves standing on Rika's doorstep. By this point, Rika was getting sleepy and all she wanted to do was get out of her yukata, take a hot bath (with Nugget hanging out with her by the bathtub), and then go to sleep. She figured she would be busy tomorrow with shopping for supplies for Nugget since she needed things like a small chicken coop and some more food. However, Adachi was far from ready to end the night. He kept leering down at his cute girlfriend with a fiery gaze that echoed the dirty thoughts that swam through his brain.

"I take it you want to come in?" She asked. Knowing all too well what was going through the detective's head, she opened the door to let him inside. Adachi didn't even need to answer her as he reached for the box in Rika's hands, taking it away from her only to set it down on her dining room table. They could situate Nugget in his new home later. For now, he wanted to put that bunny girl costume he won to good use.

Adachi handed her the bag with the skimpy costume, and his coy smirk let Rika know what he wanted her to do. "I can't believe you haven't had enough yet," Rika giggled. Their scandalous escapade in the park wasn't enough to satiate the sexual hunger that Adachi felt in his groin. His member was stiffening at the very image of Rika in that bunny costume, and he helped her hurry up and change by tugging her yukata top off her shoulders. He didn't want to wait for her to change clothes in the bathroom; it was a lot hotter for her to do it directly in front of him this time.

Rika gasped as she looked down at her bare chest once Adachi pulled the cloak off of her slender body. Something very important was missing underneath, and a sense of dread rolled over her as Rika realized she had left her bra sitting on the ground by the tree where Adachi made love to her at. How did she not realize she had forgotten to put it back on?! She must have been so caught up in the heat of the moment while also panicking over the fact that someone could have passed by them at any moment and didn't even realize she hadn't put her bra back on. To think she had gone this long without noticing it, though. Just how airheaded could she be?

"Is something wrong?" He asked, taking note of the distressed look on her pretty face.

"I left my favorite bra at the festival," she grumbled.

Adachi couldn't help but laugh at her forgetfulness. However, he chose to keep any sarcastic remarks on her ditzy antics to himself. "Don't worry about it. I'll just buy you a new one," he said as he reached his hands around her waist to leverage the zipper on the back of her frilly skirt. She didn't want to depend on Adachi to replace her lingerie for her, but it was too late to do anything about the bra now. It's not like she wanted to make the long trek back to the festival just to retrieve it.

Pushing those thoughts away from her attention, Rika stepped out of her skirt before pulling the playboy bunny costume out of its bag. It was solid black and made out of pleather, and the stretchy material would make it easy to fit around her hips and breasts. Rika was still wearing her panties and thigh highs, but Adachi stopped her before she could start trying to pulling it up her legs. "Take your panties off," he told her. "I have something I want to do."

Even though she had changed clothes in front of him many times, Rika felt rather embarrassed as she slid her underwear down her legs before stepping into the leg holes of the costume. She had to shimmy into it the way she would a tight-fitted swimsuit, but once the suit was on her it fit her like a glove. It hugged her curves in all the right place, amplifying her bosom and riding up into the cheeks of her round ass like a thong. It was even more revealing than expected and Rika kept adjusting the suit to cover herself up more.

"Don't try to be so modest," the brunette said as he reached into the bag to pull out the ears and tail to complete her ensemble. He had the pleasure of adding these accessories to her himself as he slipped the headband over her head and pinned the tail to the fabric above her tailbone.

"Now this," Adachi said as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, "is something I am not going to let you get out of without a video."

Rika huffed up her chest and placed both hands on her hips. "You know that kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable!"

"And you know I need videos like these to get through long nights at the office when they ask me to stay overtime and work alone," he replied as he propped his phone against the box that Nugget was in on top of the table. He pushed the record button on his camera application and chose to ignore the fact that filming their sexual endeavors always made Rika uncomfortable. He untied his obi and pulled his apricot colored yukata and boxers off of him before he sat down on the couch fully nude.

This was the first time Rika and Adachi had done anything promiscuous in her apartment. The walls of her apartment were paper thin and they'd need to be silent unless they wanted to deal with the complaints of her pesky neighbors. Adachi patted his lap, wordlessly commanding his pet to come over to him. At first she thought he wanted her to sit on his lap, but when he reached for her wrist and pulled her downwards, positioning her in between his thighs, she knew he wanted something else.

"I want to try something," Adachi said as his stared down at the cleavage spilling out of the top of her suit. The boning of the costume had her breasts pressed tightly together, and Adachi was eager to try something new with her. With Rika on her knees, he sat at the edge of the couch and pushed his hard member in between her mounds. Rika gasped as his cock fucked her chest, and the sensation of it felt rather strange. "Titty-Fucking" was something Rika had only ever seen in porn—accidentally, of course, when a mysterious spam mail had popped up in her e-mail—and she didn't think something like that would have been possible with her medium-sized chest. She figured only extremely busty women were capable of doing something like that, but now she understood why Adachi had been so adamant about picking the bunny suit as his prize.

Adachi kept rocking his hips against her, grinding his rod into the crevice of her chest. The tight squeeze of her breasts and the softness of her skin was driving him mad, and considering how aroused she was making him by the shy, innocent blush that stained her cheeks while he violated her body, Adachi was close to finishing in minutes. He pulled out of her cleavage and shoved his manhood in between her parted lips right before he snapped. His hot semen was released into the wet caverns of her mouth, and his actions caught her completely off guard. Her gasps of astonishment were silenced by the fact his member was being shoved into the back of her throat while he held her head in place with his hands, urging her to drink down every last drop of his cum.

Rika didn't try to pull away and eventually Adachi finished up and slid himself out of her mouth. "Sorry," Adachi muttered, his breathing ragged. "I didn't want to stain your costume with my cum so I had to improvise."

"By shoving it in my mouth without permission?" Rika whimpered, wiping her lips on the back of her hand. "You could have at least warned me. But it's okay, I don't really mind when you take control. I think it's kind of hot, actually."

As Rika looked up at him with a sultry smirk, a flash of yellow flickered in her eyes. Adachi could see it clear as day, and he remembered that her eyes had briefly changed color on him before and then turned back to normal. Initially, he thought he had imagined the whole thing. After all, people's eyes don't just suddenly fade into a vibrant yellow shade before reverting back to their original color. He was about to question her about it but the playboy bunny stood up and reached for Adachi's arm, dragging him to his feet. "Come on! Why don't you show me what else you can do," she said in a voice that was about an octave lower than her usual tone. Rika's hips swayed sensually as she led him into her bedroom, and he quickly forgot to interrogate her on the random discoloration of the pigments within her irises.

This was the first time he had ever been in his girlfriend's room. She didn't like the traditional Japanese futon mattresses that most people used and had spent her first paycheck on getting a nice, large bed. Her black and purple quilt reminded him of outer space as silver stars decorated the top of it. She didn't have too many decorations in her room, probably because she couldn't carry a lot of things to Japan with her from Europe, but all of her black, wooden furniture matched perfectly and a couple of plushies sat upon her dresser. It was clear that she liked to keep her room nice and tidy as all of her clothes were neatly organized by color in her closet and there wasn't any trash or random items lying around on the floor.

He admired the classy arrangement of her room before Rika playfully pushed him down on her bed. The springs of the bed bounced as Rika crawled on top of her naked lover, straddling his waist. "Before we keep going," Adachi interrupted as he stared up at the raven haired beauty. "Can I at least grab my phone so I can film this?"

"Not a chance," Rika replied, leaning her head forward and nibbling on his collar bone. Her hands roamed across his bare chest, tracing the lines of his protruding abdominal muscles. He had never seen her act this dominant with him before; usually she was passive and let him steer their sexual activities in the direction he wanted them to go. However, it was nice to let her take control for once, and he couldn't help shivering as she took his earlobe in between her teeth.

"What's gotten into you?" Adachi whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

"There must have been something in the _dango_ ," she joked before moving on. She pressed her mouth to his, hands still exploring every inch of his chest as she grinded her hips against his groin. He was no longer flaccid due to her teasing, and Rika could see why he didn't want her to wear underwear. His cock was pushing against the material of her bunny suit, and the sensation of him rubbing against her clit was making her incredibly wet. Adachi let Rika sweep her tongue against his lips before he brought up his hands to tangle in his fingers in her velvet tresses. He returned her kiss with fervor, intensifying the heat between their bodies as he pulled her closer.

He broke the kiss to lock gazes with her momentarily. There were no signs of yellow swirling around in her irises, but he felt like he had to check just to make sure he wasn't going crazy. "You know," he grunted, "It's not a good idea to tease me so much."

His hands left her hair so he could bring them to her waist where he slid the fabric of her costume away from her slit. With her still straddling him, he let one of his fingers invade her damp pussy so he could take control once again. His digits were pushed deep into her, and Rika's back involuntarily arched like a cat as she threw her head back.

Everything about Rika set his body into motion. He couldn't wait to have her again, and his overpowering desire to be inside of her took control of his muscles. While he kept the material of her suit parted to the side, he shoved himself into her, impaling her on his cock. Unable to hide her surprise, Rika released a high pitched scream as he was suddenly all the way inside of her. She had never been on top before, and the angle gave him plenty of room for all of him to enter her as he penetrated her.

Even though she was in the dominant position, Adachi refused to let her have complete control over their situation. With his hands tightly gripping her ass, he lifted her bottom up and down so she could ride him. She looked even more enchanting than ever with her snug costume tightly hugging her mature body, and the way the ears of her headband bobbed up and down only further added to her provocative appeal. He could have watched her fuck him all day, and from this position he wasn't missing a single second of her beauty as her expressions reflected the intense pleasure she was experiencing. She was too embarrassed to open her eyes and look down at him, but any time he rammed into her a little bit harder, her eyes would flutter open momentarily as she panted heavily.

He was determined not to cum until she was able to since he liked things to be fair between them sexually. Even so, she was making it incredibly difficult to hold back. She kept leaning forward to hold onto his shoulders for support, and every time she did so he got to see more of her voluptuous chest. Bunny girl costumes were indeed the best; they showed plenty while still leaving a little bit to the imagination. To help get her off, he stroked her clit with the tips of his index finger without breaking the rhythm of his thrusts.

"Tohru! It feels so good!" She cried out in rapture as Adachi pushed her past her limits. Her hips bucked forward as she shuddered from mind-boggling bliss. Her orgasm rained down upon her like a heavy storm as the mixture of Adachi's expert hands and throbbing cock satisfied her in all the right places. Adachi let her ride out the waves of her orgasm as he finally permitted himself a much needed liberation from the tightness of his groin. Warmth flowed into Rika's core as Adachi's cum leaked inside of her, and the muscles of her thighs spasmed against his waist over the feeling of it.

They both came crashing down from the heavens as Rika finally let out a heavy breath she had been holding in. Still inside of her, Adachi relaxed underneath her weight as he closed his eyes. "Damn it, Rika," he groaned out in a husky voice. "You have no idea what you do to me."

"I think I can venture a guess," she replied in between heavy pants. She crawled off of him and lay down beside him, nuzzling up against him.

Adachi brought her body to his, not even caring how sweaty they both were. He didn't bother getting under the covers since his temperature was well above what it needed to be after their exhilarating "playtime", but just as he was getting comfortable enough to doze off, he remembered that he had left his camera app running on his phone.

"Shit, I gotta go turn my phone off," he grumbled. He'd need it so he could set an alarm in the morning. Even though it was Sunday, he still had to head to the office around lunchtime to turn in a few documents to his boss. The life of a detective was never a dull one, that was for sure. "Don't you think you need to take off that bunny costume and get into something more comfortable?" He sat up in bed and looked down at his beautiful lover, only to see that she was already fast asleep. It looked like he gave her a little too much excitement for just one day, and he figured he'd have to help tug that costume off of her since he figured that kind of material would only cause her to burn up more in the middle of the night.

He threw his legs over the bed and treaded into the living room where the table was. However, he wasn't the only one who was still awake.

Nugget had somehow managed to hop out of his box and had been enthralled with the screen of Adachi's phone. He kept pecking at it, confused by the little red recording light that was flashing at the bottom of his screen. "Hey!" Adachi hissed, snatching his phone away from the meddlesome creature. "That's mine, you little shit. If you had cracked the screen, I would've fried you up for breakfast."

He ended the recording on his phone and scrolled through the video footage to see what all his camera had captured. Adachi was both shocked and angered by the discovery that his phone only recorded a mere second of their foreplay. Nugget had hopped out of his box early on and had fluffed himself up in front of the lens right before the scene where Rika got down on her knees. The phone's warm temperature must have drawn his attention and he had spent the rest of the time snuggled up against the screen, occasionally pecking at the red dot.

Adachi glared down at the chick as a vein nearly popped out of his forehead. "Just you wait, Nugget," he threatened, darkness looming in his voice. "I'll make sure to marinate you nice and good in the morning."


End file.
